, Public Works h some 1,500 s . In January of er skyrocketed d once all the up , February
o drive , bike and , we ’ re not happy crease . But we e patching the em quickly after e ’ ve been running en days a week , to ds that have been relenting rains .
San Francisco is not alone . City streets and highways across the rainsoaked west have been pummeled by potholes . The culprit ? Water , and lots of it . This is one of the wettest winters in San Francisco , dating back to the Gold Rush era .
If water gets through a crack in the street , it can start to soften up the road ’ s base . When a lot of traffic , and especially heavy trucks and buses , pass over , the cracks get bigger and eventually form potholes .
In the past five years , Public Works crews and contractors have resurfaced nearly 4,000 blocks , thanks in large part to the voter-approved $ 248 million Road Repaving and Street Safety Bond in 2011 . The effort has paid off , with our regionally tracked Pavement Condition Index score steadily rising . The better the condition of the pavement , the less likely potholes will form . We only can imagine how many potholes we ’ d be filling if we hadn ’ t been repaving our streets .
But , unfortunately , as long as there ’ s rain , we expect the potholes to persist . If you see one , please let us know by contacting 311 . Our goal is to get it repaired within 72 hours , if not sooner .
February 2017 - San Francisco Public Works Newsletter