DPW crews have filled more than 3,000 potholes so far this year.
SOMERVILLE – In the wake of the record-setting winter that dumped more than 100 inches of snow and wreaked havoc on city streets, Somerville’s Department of Public Works crews have been out in force over the course of March and April, filling more than 3,000 potholes, more than 450 of which were reported by constituents via 311. Work will continue in the coming weeks, in advance of the spring roadway repair and reconstruction season.
“Proactively managing and filling potholes is an issue our crews are diligent about at the beginning of every spring season, however after this most difficult winter, the DPW has been hitting the pavement particularly hard, filling an unprecedented number of potholes for this city,” said Mayor Joseph Curtatone. “The winter may have ended for most of us some time ago, but for our DPW crews the cleanup—from pothole patching to repairs of our storm-damaged sidewalks, signs, trash cans, curbs and more—is still dominating their workdays. We owe them all a great deal of thanks for their round-the-clock work during the winter and their continued efforts to clean up its after-effects to keep our community spaces clean and safe. Nonetheless, the community should keep the pothole calls coming. We’re up to the task.”
By comparison, in April 2014, DPW crews’ first “pothole blitz” saw more than 1,700 potholes filled in a two-week period. City officials attribute the uptick in calls for service and pothole occurrence to a number of factors, including heavy trucking on public roads over the last several months as round-the-clock snow removal operations were underway as well as the increased volume of melting snow contributing to the freeze-melt cycle that contributes to pothole formation.
Five Ways to Report a Pothole in Somerville
• Call 311 (or 617-666-3311)
• Email 311Updates@somervillema.gov
• Post to 311’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/311Somerville
• Tweet to @311Somerville
• Try the App Download 311’s nifty mobile app via the links at http://www.somervillema.gov/departments/constituent-services and use the app for all your 311 requests.