Pennsylvania's $22M Problem: Potholes

Pennsylvania has a $22 million problem.

Potholes.

PennDOT announced this week it has mounted an "aggressive campaign" to fix the potholes that are plaguing roads across the Keystone State. PennDOT said it has prioritized $22.3 million for "immediate" pothole repairs through June 30.

You can help them do their job by reporting potholes of concern in your neighborhood (contact information below).

“PennDOT has been at work on this problem for many months, but the severe temperature swings through the winter have created ideal conditions for continued pavement challenges,” Gov. Wolf said. “We are further increasing our focus on pothole repairs and also accelerating much-needed work on our interstates.”

Additionally, another $7 million will be invested in seven interstate maintenance projects covering potholes and other repairs on 78 miles of roadway this year, the governor announced as part of the pothole initiative.

A significant part of the work will be financed using savings from other projects, Governor Tom Wolf said.

According to information from the state, $22.3 million will buy nearly 30,000 tons of patching material.

As of the end of April, PennDOT crews had used nearly 23,000 tons of asphalt to fix potholes statewide. To compare, by the same time in 2017, PennDOT had used 15,418 tons of asphalt.

Is there a particularly pesky pothole you would like to see fixed? To alert PennDOT, visit www.customercare.penndot.gov or call the toll-free hotline at 1-800-FIX-ROAD (1-800-349-7623).

The state says it's listening: In addition to the potholes addressed through PennDOT's monitoring, more than 12,365 pothole concerns have been reported to PennDOT. As of May 21, more than 96 percent of those complaints were addressed, according to the state.

When calling to report potholes, be as specific as possible when providing locations of maintenance concerns. Be sure to include 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," PennDOT said in a press release.

You can learn more by watching PennDOT's "Pothold Patrol" YouTube here:

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