Repair · cracks, potholes, sunken spots
Asphalt repair: every kind of damage has its fix, and its price
Cracks, potholes and sunken areas need different repairs. The price depends on length or area, depth and travel. Compare the repair scope before replacing the entire driveway.
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A lasting asphalt repair treats the damage according to its cause: a shrinkage crack is closed with a hot product that stays flexible in the cold, a pothole is cut back to sound material and filled with compacted hot mix, a sunken spot is opened down to the stone. A shovelled-in cold patch bonds to nothing and pops out at the next thaw.
- 3–20 mm crack: hot-sealed, a published $250–400 package below 200 linear feet from L’Équipe Marcil.
- Pothole: quoted by area and depth, cut square and rebuilt with hot mix.
- Dip or sunken area: opened up, stone recompacted, new asphalt; priced on site.
- Season: mid-May to late fall, in dry weather, above 5 °C for crack sealing.
Which repair for which damage?
Québec’s transport ministry does not seal every crack: it sorts them by width and behaviour. The same sorting works for a driveway.
| What you see | The cause | The repair | 2026 price, before tax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crack under 3 mm | Early cold shrinkage | None: too narrow for any product to enter; we keep an eye on it | $0 |
| Single crack, 3–20 mm | Shrinkage, ageing | Compressed-air cleaning, hot sealant | $250–400 below 200 linear feet |
| Crack over 20 mm with broken edges | A crack that has worked for several winters | Strip cut out and filled with hot mix | on site |
| Zigzag crack that opens wider in winter | Frost in frost-susceptible soil or fill | No sealant, which would tear: we fix the drainage or base at that spot | on site |
| Alligator cracking (pieces under 30 cm) | The base no longer carries the load | Area cut out and rebuilt with its base | on site |
| Pothole | Water and tires tore out the mix | Square cut, recompacted base, hot mix, sealed joints | quoted by area and depth |
| Crumbling edge | No side support | Edge rebuilt on compacted stone | on site |
| Dip that holds water | Settled or washed-out stone | Opened to the stone, recompacted, repaved | on site |
The 3 and 20 mm thresholds, and the refusal to seal alligator cracking or frost cracks whose width changes by more than 5 mm between summer and winter, come from the ministry’s crack-sealing practice. The size of alligator pieces comes from the Federal Highway Administration’s distress identification manual.
Tell us what you see: the questionnaire tells you in 2 minutes whether a repair is enough
Crack sealing, the repair that pays back the most
Closing a crack keeps water from reaching the stone, freezing and prying the crack open a little more with every cycle. On its regional roads, the transport ministry gets 4 to 8 years of service from crack sealing. For 50 feet of cracks, the published $250–400 small-job package provides a budget reference. A road-treatment lifespan is not a guaranteed extension to a driveway’s life.
How we seal:
- The right time. We map the cracks at the end of winter, while frost cracks are visible, and seal in dry weather between 5 and 30 °C. The ministry seals from mid-May to mid-October; in November, dry afternoons above 5 °C are the last window before winter.
- Cleaning. Hot compressed air blows out dust, sand and weeds, or the product won’t stick to the walls.
- The product. A bituminous sealant heated in a kettle and poured hot, which stays elastic into the January cold.
- The finish. Squeegeed flush with the surface, so the snowplough blade doesn’t rip it out.
Hardware-store tubes of cold filler fill the crack without bonding deep inside it; they often come loose in the first winter.
The pothole, rebuilt hot
A pothole becomes severe beyond 50 mm deep, according to the Federal Highway Administration manual. Filling it with cold asphalt stamped down by foot fixes nothing: the mix doesn’t compact, water runs under the patch and lifts it at the thaw.
Our repair:
- A square cut, at least 150 mm past the damage, down to sound material, as the transport ministry’s technical guide prescribes.
- Base recompacted: washed-out stone is replaced and compacted.
- Tack coat on the vertical walls, to weld the new to the old.
- Hot mix placed in lifts and compacted with a plate or roller, slightly proud to allow for settlement.
- Sealed joints around the edge, where water would get in first.
A fresh repair is blacker than the surrounding asphalt for a few seasons, then greys. A sealcoat over the whole surface evens out the colour once the new mix has cured.
Repair or rebuild: where the line is
Repair stays worthwhile as long as the damage is local and the stone holds. When alligator cracking covers a large part of the driveway, the dips multiply, or last year’s repair is already cracking beside it, the money goes further in a rebuilt driveway at $6–10/ft², or in resurfacing at $3–5.50/ft² if the base holds.
| For a 400 ft² driveway | 2026 price, before tax | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Sealing 50 ft of cracks | $250–400 published visit package | Close suitable cracks on a surface that is still sound |
| Three potholes rebuilt hot | Quoted by area and depth | A surface without holes, if the rest holds |
| Resurfacing | $1,200–2,200 | 10 to 15 more years, on a sound base |
| Fully rebuilt driveway | $2,400–4,000 | 15 to 20 years and more, new base |
The year-by-year math is in our article on how long a driveway lasts; the signs that call for a rebuild are in when to redo your driveway.
We come by for free and give you both prices: repair and rebuild
Commercial parking lot repairs
In a parking lot, a pothole is a trip-and-fall claim waiting to happen as much as an expense. We group the repairs into one mobilization, early in the morning or on a weekend, zone by zone, to keep the business open. Sunken catch basins, cracks around manholes and strips worn by delivery trucks are handled in the same visit. See our commercial paving page.
Before winter: three repairs not to put off
- Cracks of 3 to 20 mm: water that gets in during November then goes through 67 to 85 freeze-thaw days a year in the Montréal area.
- Potholes near the garage and the sidewalk: the snowplough blade catches their edges and enlarges them.
- Crumbling edges: snow pushed onto the edge crushes it without support.
What can wait for spring: the grey colour, cracks under 3 mm and surface sealcoating. Our winter driveway guide has the full list.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to repair a crack in asphalt?
L’Équipe Marcil publishes a $250–400 package below 200 linear feet. That is the calculator’s benchmark for a small visit, including a 50-foot example. Your quote also depends on crack width, cleaning and travel.
How much does pothole repair cost?
The price depends on the area to cut out, depth, base repairs and travel. A hole that reveals washed-out stone over a large area is priced on site, like a small rebuilt section.
Does bagged cold asphalt fix a pothole?
For a season, rarely longer. Cold mix doesn’t compact like hot mix and doesn’t bond to the walls: water runs under it and lifts it at the thaw. It is an emergency patch, not a repair.
Can asphalt be repaired in November?
Yes, as long as the surface is dry and not frozen. Crack sealing needs at least 5 °C, which some November afternoons still reach. A pothole can be rebuilt with hot mix as long as the plants are producing.
Will the repair show?
Yes, for a few seasons: new mix is blacker. It then greys, and a sealcoat over the whole surface, applied once the new mix has cured, evens out the colour.
Should every crack be sealed?
No. Cracks under 3 mm are too narrow, and alligator cracking or frost cracks are not sealed: their cause is in the base. We seal single cracks of 3 to 20 mm.
Do you work in my city?
The crew is based in Montréal and repairs asphalt across Québec, first in Montréal, Laval, the North Shore, Lanaudière and the South Shore. See the service areas or use the request form.
Sources
- Québec transport ministry, crack-sealing practice (3–20 mm widths, exclusions, season and temperatures, 4–8 years on regional roads).
- Québec transport ministry, Guide technique sur la mise en place des enrobés bitumineux (2009): repairs before an overlay, cutting past the damage.
- Federal Highway Administration, Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program: alligator cracking, edges, potholes.
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1991–2020 climate normals (freeze-thaw days, November highs).
- Prices: scellementasphalte.ca (Montréal, Laval) for cracks, Scellant Rive-Nord for the base fee, Casabella Pavage for potholes; compiled on our price page.
2026 prices in detail: sources and calculator.
Asphalt repair: in your city.
Montréal and Laval
North Shore
Les Moulins and Lanaudière
South Shore
Montérégie
Québec City region
Eastern Townships
Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec
Outaouais
Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
Eastern Québec
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