City officials in Colorado Springs respond to citizen complaints about potholes
Scott Harrison
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Among the most common pothole-related questions to KRDO13’s The Road Warrior are: Why do crews fill some, but not all of numerous potholes at an intersection, and why are pothole reports listed as “closed” when they actually still need repair?
Two examples of intersection potholes are at Academy and Dublin boulevards, and at Union Boulevard and Mirage Drive, both on the northeast side of town.
Crews recently patched the worst potholes at those locations, but officials said that filling all of the potholes on such crumbling pavement would waste time and resources.
“We’re going to put that on a list that says in a month or two, or whenever we can build up the resources to tackle it, we’re going to go out, we’re going to close that area, we’ll do a full dig-out, we’re going to repave the whole thing.”
The city would use its own crews for that work, rather than hiring contractors already hired for the annual 2C expanded paving program.
As for the second complaint regarding the status of pothole reports, the city says it will list a report as “closed” after more than one person has reported it, because repairs are already scheduled at that point.
In mid-March, The Road Warrior filed reports on three locations, including the two mentioned above, and received an initial email response that repairs were scheduled for April 1, but a follow-up notification indicated that the repairs were completed on April 8.
While many citizens likely expect more of an immediate repair response, the city says it may take more time for a crew to respond, depending on other locations that may have a higher priority, on other duties the repair crew may have, and weather conditions.
Officials also said that some pothole reports don’t have the correct location, which can also lengthen the time for a response.
The city said that its crews filled more than 78,000 potholes last year, and that pothole reports have decreased by 30% since the 2C program began in 2016.
Officials also say that only around 10% of pothole repairs are to those reported by citizens, and Mayor Yemi Mobolade urges more citizens to report potholes promptly.
“Fixing potholes is important,” he said. “But it’s only a Band-Aid solution. 2-C repaving is the long-term solution. Residents, please hear me. You hear me clearly. We will take care of what we already have. We will stay focused on our fundamentals, and we will continue to invest in maintaining and rebuilding our roads.”
Citizens can report potholes to the city in three ways: On the Go COS smartphone app, on the city’s online public works page, and by calling 719-385-ROAD (7623).