Rough and broken asphalt will lead to an expensive spring for the City of Charlottetown.

Mayor Clifford Lee told CBC News Monday it's the worst spring for potholes since he became mayor in 2003, and it comes on top of an expensive year for snow removal.

Street repair will be $250,000 over budget this spring.
(CBC)

"We anticipate it's going to cost us about a quarter of a million dollars more for snow removal in the winter we just came through — hopefully, we're through that winter — and the same amount for additional money for asphalt for this coming spring and summer," said Lee.

That's $250,000 for street repairs beyond what was budgeted.

The city is not alone in paying a high cost for streets broken up by a series of freeze-thaws. Motorists are also finding it expensive, lining up at repair shops for fixes to front-end suspension systems.

"We've had leaf springs, sway bar links, ball joints, just part after part after part," said Ian Handrahan at Quick Wrench in Charlottetown.

"It's all mostly front-end damage from hitting something, potholes, ruts in the road, it's been the worst winter yet."

City crews have spent the last six weeks trying to patch up the worst holes, but it's still too cold to lay asphalt and properly fix them. It will be the end of May before the asphalt plants are fired up and proper repairs begin.