Seattle DOT fills nearly 9K potholes in two weeks

Crews filled 8,700 potholes in two weeks across Seattle streets as part of the Department of Transportation’s Pothole Palooza campaign.

At that rate, SDOT could fill 226,200 potholes in a year. They repaired 19,074 potholes in 2016.

SDOT said the Pothole Rangers – the crews tasked with filling potholes – fixed 95 percent of those potholes in three business days or less.

SDOT said this winter, the wettest ever recorded in the city, was especially rough on Seattle streets. SDOT “needed to add extra resources to respond to the thousands of potholes,” according to its YouTube video. Even SDOT director Scott Kubly was out there on April 18 with a rake to kick off Pothole Palooza.

It rained 44.7 (114 centimeters) inches between October and April, marking the wettest winter in Seattle history (since records began in 1895), according to the National Weather Service. That rain works its way into cracks in the roads, and then it freezes and expands, breaking apart the pavement.

University of Washington Meteorologist Cliff Mass can confirm that indeed, water and cold temps can wreak havoc on our roadways.

“This has been a big year for Northwest potholes, feared by drivers and bicyclists alike,” Mass wrote on his blog. “… And it should not be a surprise, considering the weather has been ‘ideal’ for producing potholes …”

According to the proposed budget, the City of Seattle estimates it’ll repair 17,500 potholes in 2017. In 2015, crews repaired 17,561 potholes, which is up from 15,582 in 2014.  The city spent over $2.2 million fixing potholes in 2016 and proposed over $2.3 million for 2017.

SDOT says there are three ways to report a pothole: the #FindItFixIt app, call 206.386.1218, or fill out the web form.

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