If you drive in Chicago, you know winter and early spring are the times to be on the lookout for potholes. These destructive divots have claimed countless tires over the years, but relief is in sight. Mild weather in the month of January has prompted the Chicago Department of Transportation to get a jump on filling potholes in 2017.
On Friday, the department announced that road crews have repaired more than 56,000 potholes so far this year, and that’s great news for thousands of city drivers. In 2016, the city received 31,736 pothole complaints, which is down 18 percent from the prior year. Fewer reported complaints can be attributed to significant improvements to the overall condition of city streets, according to CDOT.
“Over the past five years, Mayor Emanuel has made an unprecedented investment in improving our infrastructure and providing CDOT the resources to quickly respond to pothole complaints,” CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld said in a news release. “We know we still have a lot of work to do, but we can see that the investments of the last few years are paying off.”
That work is currently ongoing, with 15 to 16 pothole crews out each day. The department said Chicagoans can help with the effort by letting the city know where work is needed. You can report potholes by:
- Calling 311
- Visiting the city’s website
- Texting “Chicago” to 311311
And if you’re tired of constantly being on pothole patrol while driving, take a look at the city’s pothole tracker and find out if there are any reported hazards on your route.
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