NYC unleashes pothole repair "five-borough blitz" this weekend, Mayor Mamdani says
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would be unleashing a citywide pothole repair blitz this weekend, and the numbers appear to back it up.
More than 80 Department of Transportation crews hit the streets starting at 6 a.m. Saturday with an eye on filling thousands of potholes.
DOT said Sunday that crews filled in over 7,000 potholes across the five boroughs with additional blitzes coming as needed.
Pothole repairs in NYC
New Yorkers are asked to call 311 to report potholes in need of repair.
"While most New Yorkers are still asleep, 80 DOT crews will take to the streets to repair potholes in a five-borough blitz," Mamdani said. "In a single day, they'll fill thousands of potholes that pop up every year as spring arrives and our city streets begin to thaw."
"New Yorkers have braved a rough winter, and we can see and feel the resulting potholes from wear-and-tear on our roads," DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said. "That's why the men and women of NYC DOT are doubling down on repair efforts in recent weeks and will step it up this weekend with a five-borough, 80-crew blitz."
City officials knew the blitz might impact drivers Saturday, but they said it would be worth it.
"It could affect traffic. There could be some minor delays, some inconveniences," Flynn said. "We hope New Yorkers understand ... it's a little bit of short-term pain for long-term gain."
Flynn said more repaving is the best long-term solution.
The annual effort to get entire streets resurfaced begins next week. The DOT says it expects to resurface more than 1,100 lane miles of roadways this year.
Why are there so many potholes?
The spike in potholes is a result of the bitter winter that brought record snowfall and intense cold. Pothole season typically takes place around spring, when more potholes open as a result of the freezing and thawing cycle.
"What happened this year is we had that real extended cold spell, and what that means is then when it finally warms up and the asphalt thaws out, you see a lot of those potholes all forming kind of at the same time," Flynn said.
Fred Stine said the auto repair shop where he works is seeing vehicles come in just because of "normal city driving."
"This is from potholes in the city. This is what's happening. This is why we stay so busy lately," he said.
The DOT said it has repaired more than 50,000 potholes since the start of the year, including 10,000 in the last week alone.
