Meet ‘Python,’ it’s a machine that helps fill potholes on Ottawa roads in minutes.
“It’s called the Python 5000. So, it’s another tool we have in our toolkit for patching potholes,” says Bryden Denyes, area manager of Roads Services at the City of Ottawa.
This equipment is operated by a single operator and makes filling potholes look easy.
“This is a fully self-contained unit. So, it’s very different from our other crews that are out taking multiple staff members to do it,” Denyes said.
“This operation is a single person. The material that we use is loaded into the machine. The machine would then drive up to the pothole so it can work in traffic. There’s nobody getting in and out.”
The city invited CTV News along to watch the ‘Python’ in action along a stretch of Hog’s Back Road. A smaller pothole was filled in about a minute. A much larger pothole, approximately one metre in diameter, took about five minutes.
“It has the ability to clean out the pothole with high pressurized air, and then it’ll add material and pack it and then move on to the next one,” says Denyes.
The machine fills the pothole without fully shutting down the road, although some drivers waited behind the Python 5000 to safely pass it on the two-lane road.
“Because it is a one-person operation and there’s nobody out, we can use it in higher traffic areas, intersections where it is considered a moving operation versus us setting up lane closures, people walking in traffic. So again, it’s just another tool that helps us get through our potholes faster.”
“I thought it was pretty good,” says resident Bruce Stewart as he was passing by. “Pretty neat.”
It’s another tool to combat Ottawa’s freeze-thaw cycles. Denyes says so far this season, the city has filled about 42,000 potholes.
“We’re not seeing as many potholes at this time of year just because of the season we’ve had.”
Drivers admit potholes can be frustrating after a cold winter.
“When you come to Ottawa, you’ve got to maneuver the potholes,” says driver Wayne Lambert, who is visiting from Pembroke. “I avoid them and drive slow.”
“It’s tough. You try to avoid the potholes, and you also got to avoid the cars trying to avoid them too,” says Stephen.
