Motorists pass a pothole on southbound Route 65 in Harmony Township. Credit: Larissa Dudkiewicz
Following a colder-than-average winter and weeks of dramatic temperature swings, PennDOT acting Secretary Leslie S. Richards advised Pennsylvanians this week that PennDOT crews are aggressively tackling the growing number or potholes appearing on state-owned roadways.
“We’ve had a rough couple of winters, including repeated rounds of freeze/thaw cycles,” Richards said in a news release. “Our road crews are out there working as quickly as possible to address potholes, and we’re asking motorists for help by informing us about where there are roadway concerns.”
In addition to the potholes addressed through continued monitoring by PennDOT crews, more than 3,600 pothole concerns have been reported to PennDOT and nearly 3,500 of those concerns have been addressed since March 1.
Roadways will always experience potholes with Pennsylvania’s aggressive freeze-thaw cycle. PennDOT’s nearly 5,000 equipment operators are working to repair pothole damage on nearly 40,000 miles of state-owned roadway.
Richards said not every pothole can be fixed immediately, especially on lower volume roads.
"We simply must prioritize based on the traffic volume of a road. I ask for patience as we work through making these repairs.”
So far this year, PennDOT has invested more than $17.5 million to repair potholes. To further supplement the department’s efforts, an additional $21.6 million in emergency funds have been released to address pothole repairs statewide through Act 89, the state’s transportation funding plan.
PennDOT’s priority is to start with the higher volume roadways, but will work through the entire state-owned road system.
Motorists can report potholes and other highway-maintenance concerns on state routes by calling PennDOT’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-FIX-ROAD (1-800-349-7623) or by visitingwww.dot.state.pa.us and select “Submit Feedback.”
The hotline is staffed between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. After 4:30 p.m., and on weekends and holidays, calls are recorded by a voicemail system.
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.
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In addition to the potholes addressed through continued monitoring by PennDOT crews, more than 3,600 pothole concerns have been reported to PennDOT and nearly 3,500 of those concerns have been addressed since March 1.
Roadways will always experience potholes with Pennsylvania’s aggressive freeze-thaw cycle. PennDOT’s nearly 5,000 equipment operators are working to repair pothole damage on nearly 40,000 miles of state-owned roadway.
Richards said not every pothole can be fixed immediately, especially on lower volume roads.
"We simply must prioritize based on the traffic volume of a road. I ask for patience as we work through making these repairs.”
So far this year, PennDOT has invested more than $17.5 million to repair potholes. To further supplement the department’s efforts, an additional $21.6 million in emergency funds have been released to address pothole repairs statewide through Act 89, the state’s transportation funding plan.
PennDOT’s priority is to start with the higher volume roadways, but will work through the entire state-owned road system.
Motorists can report potholes and other highway-maintenance concerns on state routes by calling PennDOT’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-FIX-ROAD (1-800-349-7623) or by visitingwww.dot.state.pa.us and select “Submit Feedback.”
The hotline is staffed between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. After 4:30 p.m., and on weekends and holidays, calls are recorded by a voicemail system.
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.
Like Ambridge Connection on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
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