Digging into Windsor's pothole problem with city engineer Mark Winterton

Windsor has seen some intense swings in the weather during the past week, with residents up to theirknees in snow one day andup to their ankles in slush the next.

And all of this is taking a toll on Windsor's streets.

"You get water stuck within the granular of the road," explained Mark Winterton, Windsor's city engineer.

"Everything will heave up, then it will go down, and that movement ... creates havoc," he said. "Windsor is probably in the worst climate for freeze/thaw cycles in all of North America."

Winterton explained the city has three shifts of pothole patching crews and roving monitors who keep an eye out for new chasms.

"When it does thaw out ... we're out there in force," he said.

January is a particularly bad time for potholes, Winterton said, as there is usually a sustained thaw, followed by a deep freeze. March is another problematic month.

If someone spots a pothole that hasn't been patched, Wintertonencourages residents to call 311.

"Whether it's on E.C. Row or a local street, we have a responsibility to maintain those roads ... even if they're a little bumpy."