App Helps Cities Patch Potholes Promptly
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Jim Braunshausen, Mankato's deputy director of public works, has been working potholes for 28 years.
He says this year stands out.
"[It] rates in the top 10 worse years of potholes," Braunshausen said.
What's also different this year is that he's got some free help. As of this month, Mankato drivers can use an app on their phone or tablet to report potholes. The app is already popular in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Eden Prairie and beyond.
For instance, if you're driving in Mankato and see a pothole while driving, take a photo if you can safely get out of your car.
That photo will be sent to the central office in Mankato, and a work order will be sent downstairs so a truck can be sent out for the pothole to be fixed. This whole process typically takes about two hours.
"But once we know where they are and we're aware that that pothole is there and that it could cause damage to someone's vehicle, that's the ones we want to get out and fix right away," Braunshausen said.
So instead of crews searching for potholes, citizens are finding them. And it seems the best new way to handle a bump in the road is to let someone else smooth it over.
The Mankato app can be found on iTunes here, and for Android devices here.