Department Of Transportation Declares War On Potholes
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Armed with an extra $2 million Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan has declared war on potholes.
Sadik-Khan tells 1010 WINS' Stan Brooks that the freeze-thaw cycle has made filling potholes difficult
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WCBS 880's Rich Lamb at 2nd Street and Avenue B
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"Mother nature has been really difficult this year, she's thrown everything at us from record snow to an incredible freeze-thaw cycle," Sadik-Khan said. "It's beautiful out here today which is great cause we can fill potholes."
LINK: NYC DOT - The Daily Pothole
Since January, the DOT has filled about 85,000 potholes – about 30,000 more than the same period last year.
Sadik-Khan said the freeze-thaw cycle has reeked havoc on city streets. An additional $2 million will now help pay for 30 repair crews to work 20 extended weekdays and 40 crews to work 10 weekends through April to speed up the road repair process.
Residents are urged to report potholes by calling 311 or by logging onto the Daily Pothole -- which also tracks pothole crews.
New Yorkers have been struggling with a sea of potholes following a series of storms that plagued the city since the monster post-Christmas blizzard.
Last week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the furloughing of the repair crews as a cost-saving measure, and suggested Albany hasn't been coughing up needed cash. Furloughs that began last month at the DOT delayed pothole response time. Bloomberg pointed out the turnaround time on filling a pothole has grown from an average two days to three and a half.
