Warmer days are here, but signs of last month’s record snowfall are still visible in Seattle.
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) said February’s snowstorms were particularly damaging to the roads as temperatures fluctuated.
By Feb. 21, the city had filled more than 1,500 potholes since the beginning of the year, according to SDOT. The following week, the city doubled the number of maintenance crews and worked through the weekend filling roughly 1,100 more potholes.
SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson told KING 5 crews have filled more than 1,000 potholes a week on average since the snowstorms. In comparison, SDOT filled around 500 potholes a week on average in 2018.
As more and more potholes are reported, crews are prioritizing filling the most hazardous potholes on roads used by the most vehicles. Though thousands of potholes have been filled so far this year, SDOT said there is still a lot of work to be done.
“We need people to understand that we’re still working hard even though it will take us longer than usual to respond to all the requests,” SDOT said in a blog post.
Potholes are caused when water seeps into cracks in pavement, freezes, and expands. When the temperature rises, the pavement sinks, and a pothole forms.
You can report a pothole by downloading the FindIt FixIt app for iOS and Android, by submitting an online report, or by calling 206-684-7623.