Potholes Still a Major Problem for Chicago’s West and South Side

Deborah Bayliss | As of Wednesday, June 18, 2014

This pothole on Fulton Street between Francisco and Sacramento streets is one of many that stretches along that block. To report potholes and request repair, Chicago residents are urged to call the City of Chicago's 311 or go to the City's website at cityofchicago.org.
This pothole on Fulton Street between Francisco and Sacramento streets is one of many that stretches along that block. To report potholes and request repair, Chicago residents are urged to call the City of Chicago's 311 or go to the City's website at cityofchicago.org. Deborah Bayliss

Potholes are still a big problem in many neighborhoods throughout Chicago such as the ones that stretch the length of Fulton Street between California and Sacramento on Chicago’s west side, creating hazardous situations for both drivers and pedestrians. The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) says citizens need to report the craters in order to have them repaired.

The Chicago Citizen Newspaper asked CDOT about the status of the pothole repair program.

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The potholes pictured here on the 2900 hundred block of Fulton Street on Chicago's west side are a hazard for drivers and pedestrians. Residents should call 311 to report the potholes and request repair or go to the City's website at cityofchicago.org.

Pete Scales, CDOT’s communication’s director responded saying, “CDOT fills potholes all year round and have crews on the street through the entire year.  We do shift many of them in the summer to do the street repaving work (which is a way to attack many potholes permanently at one time), but we don't ever stop addressing potholes.”

Since the start of the year, according to Scales, CDOT crews have filled 545,000 potholes--something he said is well ahead of the pace from 2013.

“We filled 630,000 over the course of the entire year,” Scales added.

To makes crews aware of pothole locations, Scales said residents should call the City’s, 311 number to report them or go to the City’s website at www.cityofchicago.org.

When crews respond to a 311 pothole request, they generally fill all additional potholes on that block, according to information on City’s website.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced in Feb. that CDOT was adding six additional pothole crews.

With the additional manpower, CDOT is supposed to have nearly 30 pothole crews on the street at one time.

Drivers are sure to encounter potholes on pretty much any side street on Chicago’s west and south side so residents should report them immediately once spotted.

Residents can track potholes repairs on the City's Pothole Tracker application (www.cityofchicago.org/potholetracker), which shows the calls for service and the number of potholes filled during each site visit.

In addition to calling 311 or going to the city’s website to request pothole repair, residents can also:

Use 311 smartphone apps including: SeeClickFix and Chicago Works. For more web and smartphone civic apps, visit Chicago Digital.

Use ChiText by texting "Chicago" to 311311 to start the reporting process

“Chicagoans should continue to tell us where the potholes are in their neighborhoods,” Scales said.

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