An abundance of snow and fluctuating winter temperatures are leaving their mark on Ontario highways, says the province's transportation minister.

Jim Bradley said Tuesday the province is working to fix a higher-than-normal number of potholes that have appeared on the 400-series highways.

He said the extra effort will cost Ontario more than it expected to pay for road damages this year as more potholes are constantly being discovered.

Bradley blamed a mix of freezing and melting temperatures for the problem, which he said is not limited to highways but has affected all roads in Ontario.

"Our crews will be out there working as quickly as possible and as extensively as possible to get them fixed because it's something that nobody, but nobody, wants to encounter," Bradley said.

Toronto taxi driver Moustafa Afsta said his mechanic bills are a testament to the pothole problem.
 
"Too [many] holes," he said. "The tires go inside and damage the joint. I always have to go to the mechanic."

'Grave' deterioration of roads and sewers

Many in Toronto had hoped that yesterday's federal budget announcement would include money for infrastructure projects, including road and bridge repairs.

The need for such funds is grave, says Andy Manahan of the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario, as sewers, roads and highways continue to decay.

"You can't let the infrastructure deteriorate down to a level where you've got rebuild it and the cost is almost as much in real dollars as when you first put the road in there or the bridge," he said.

Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan has criticized the federal budget for failing to provide money for critical infrastructure improvements in the province.

He said yesterday's "biggest disappointment" was the lack of meaningful investment in public infrastructure, which the budget limited to $195 million over two years.

With files from the Canadian Press