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SDOT: 7,500 potholes filled so far after surge in reports due to winter weather

Six months' worth of potholes were filled in six weeks, SDOT said, following a surge in reports due to winter weather in December.

SEATTLE — Editor's note: The above video on the City of Seattle reviewing the biggest impacts of winter weather originally aired February 1, 2022.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced Friday that crews have filled about six months' worth of potholes in just six weeks following the winter weather that rang in the New Year.

SDOT said 7,500 potholes have been filled so far in 2022, tripling the department's usual response effort. In 2021, crews filled over 15,000 potholes in total with 85% of them being filled within 72 hours, according to SDOT.

The department said it would normally send out about four crews a day to fix potholes but ramped up efforts in January, sending out up to 11 crews a day, including weekends.

The winter weather in December caused substantial damage to city roads and even caused previously filled potholes to reappear, SDOT said.

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SDOT said it received pothole reports in nearly 600 locations in a one-week period, compared to an average of about 150 reports per week last winter.

SDOT said at the beginning of the year it was preparing to receive a surge of reports and encouraged residents to report them. SDOT also asked for patience from residents as crews worked to fill potholes.

Some parts of Seattle saw more than six inches of snow the last week of December. Cold temperatures also impacted conditions in the city. According to the NWS, Seattle's high of 23 on Dec. 27 was the coldest day in 31 years.

As a result, SDOT said its crews worked 24/7 from Dec. 24, 2021, to Jan. 5, plowing, treating and patrolling 40,000 miles worth of roads.

SDOT offers ways to report a pothole in the city; just use any of the following tools:

SDOT also offers an interactive map for residents to check where the latest potholes have been filled.

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