State Pothole Tracking Program Expands in Massachusetts

MASSACHUSETTS — See a pothole, report a pothole. The state's trying to make it easier to get those unsightly, tire damaging craters in your roads and streets fixed faster by implementing a way to tell them about it easier.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) just announced that it's in the process of expanding its new, innovative pothole information program that was piloted in Central and Western Massachusetts over the past year and includes an online MassDOT Potholes Dashboard that provides data to the public.

The user-friendly dashboard includes a map that details pothole locations and size, the number of potholes filled, the type of material used, and the total approximate cost.

MassDOT also uses the reports for other purposes, such as making capital investments and figuring out which roads tend to require more consistent pothole repair.

“MassDOT is pleased this program has been successful thus far, and we are continuing to expand this innovative approach across the state,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack in a statement. “By engaging the public, we gain the advantage of quicker response and repair times, which translates to safer, more efficient travel for everyone who uses the Commonwealth’s roads.”

"It allows us to better monitor road conditions and repairs, and then we are able to use this data when determining where we should initiate road reconstruction and resurfacing projects to ensure our transportation systems remain safe and reliable,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Thomas J. Tinlin in a statement.

The repair program also includes an app where road crews can plug in the date, time, cost and materials they used to repair potholes. All this information becomes viewable in real-time.

The program has been successfully piloted in the Springfield and Worcester areas and MassDOT will expand the service to the remaining districts over the next several months. MassDOT expects the application to be implemented in Western Massachusetts near the New York border, Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands within the next month, and to the I-495 belt, North Shore, and Boston Metropolitan Area months later.

While it is not possible to track all repairs and activity, data collected during the pilot program shows that MassDOT made at least 310 pothole repairs on I-90, (the Massachusetts Turnpike), between Sturbridge and Weston in 2016, and has conducted about 210 pothole repairs between Springfield and Weston from January to February 17, 2017, said the announcement.

Potholes can be reported through MassDOT’s Pothole Hotline number at 857-368-6999. Potholes can also be reported to MassDOT by calling 857-DOT-INFO (857-368-4636) or 877-MA-DOT-GOV (877-623-6846) or by contacting MassDOT online. Potholes can also be reported to the State or local police who will contact MassDOT with the report. This information can also be found on the MassDOT's blog.

Photo via MassDOT