Mayor Turner Announces Success on Pothole Initiative and Launches Plan to Improve City Streets

Mayor Sylvester Turner announced an impressive 100% success rate in next-day pothole repairs called into 311 for the year 2018 as part of the mayor’s signature pothole initiative.

Watch announcement here: https://youtu.be/Izv2-ZTSj0s.

The program, launched in January 2016, promises to assess and address each pothole by the next business day after its reported. Since its inception, the program has filled 165,000 potholes and counting. City repair crews have maintained consistent performance in the aftermath of major disasters such as the Tax Day Flood, Memorial Day Flood and Hurricane Harvey.

POTHOLES PROACTIVELY FILLED

Year >> Potholes Filled**

2015 >> 73,635

2016 >> 59,118

2017 >> 63,657

2018* >> 35,597

** In 2015 a pothole was defined as any area of missing or severely deteriorated pavement up to 2 feet by 2 feet. In 2016 a pothole was redefined as any area of missing or severely deteriorated pavement up to 5 feet by 5 feet.

During Monday’s news announcement, Mayor Turner also challenged Houston Public Works Director Carol Haddock and her team to replace more street panels. A street panel removes a severely worn section of the street and replaces it with a new one, This allows the City to extend the life of a street and improve mobility without a complete reconstruction. Houston Public Works currently replaces about 900 concrete street panels per year.

The City of Houston recognizes that a pothole patch is only a short-term fix and wants to make sure streets are safe for drivers until long-term solutions can be implemented. Mayor Turner reminds the public that Houston Public Works relies on the community to help identify areas in need. If you see a pothole, call 311 or report it using the City of Houston 311 app. For more information on the City of Houston’s pothole initiative, visit: http://houstonpotholes.org/.