During the first two months of this year, PennDOT crews used nearly 10,000 tons of asphalt to repair potholes statewide.
That’s nearly three times what it had used in the same timeframe in 2016 and 3,000 more tons than last year.
Officials say this winter’s dramatic temperature swings are largely to blame. It’s cost PennDOT more than $7 million to do the work.
“Potholes can form literally overnight and that’s what we’re seeing with these temperature swings,” PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said in a statement Tuesday. “This year we are seeing more concerns than usual and our crews are working aggressively to make repairs whenever weather permits.”
Through the end of February, PennDOT crews had used more than 9,627 tons of asphalt repairing potholes statewide, equal to the weight of roughly 627 PennDOT dump trucks. In comparison, by the same time in 2017 PennDOT had used 6,133 tons of asphalt and used 3,607 tons by this time in 2016. Nearly $7.2 million was invested in pothole repairs statewide through the end of February 2018.
In addition to the potholes addressed through continued monitoring by PennDOT crews, more than 5,910 pothole concerns have been reported to PennDOT and more than 90 percent were addressed through February this year.
With Pennsylvania’s aggressive freeze-thaw cycle, roadways will always experience potholes. PennDOTcrews are working vigorously to repair pothole damage on nearly 40,000 miles of state-owned roadway, addressing higher traffic roadways first and working on others as soon as possible. Repairs will be temporary until the weather warms and longer-lasting materials are available.
Motorists can report potholes and other highway-maintenance concerns on state routes at www.customercare.penndot.gov or by calling PennDOT’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-FIX-ROAD (1-800-349-7623).
Motorists are asked to be as specific as possible when providing locations of maintenance concerns. Motorists should report the county, municipality, street name and state route number, which can be found on small black and white signs posted along state highways. In addition, a description of any familiar landmarks would be helpful for PennDOT to locate the problem area.
Maintenance concerns will be corrected as soon as possible. Emergency road repairs, such as road wash-outs, are handled on a top-priority basis.
The 1-800-FIX-ROAD number should not be used to report traffic accidents, disabled vehicles or other emergencies. Motorists should continue to call 911 to report these types of emergencies.
