Patching Up March: Statewide 'Pothole Blitz' Begins

On Feb. 25, Governor Bob McDonnell directed the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to focus March efforts on patching the thousands of potholes across Virginia.

Potholes are generally commonplace after heavy snow and cold weather, as the perspiration seeps between the cracks in concrete, expands, freezes and then thaws—weakening the concrete and eventually prompting the road to crack and break apart.

While a plethora of potholes are not uncommon come springtime, according to VDOT this year has been especially tough—as repair crews have been hindered by nearly constant snow.

"Northern Virginia roads have the highest traffic volumes in the state; it's no surprise that they wear out faster," Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance President Bob Chase said. "Add snow, chemicals, freezing and thawing and the result is 'major divots.'"

VDOT has embraced this task, and plan to make pothole repair its top priority for the month of March. It has budgeted $45.8 million towards asphalt and concrete patching for fiscal year 2010 (July 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010).

VDOT has struggled with budget cutbacks, but money hasn’t come out of pothole repair because it is considered a safety program.

"Nearly half (44 percent) of VDOT's entire budget is already devoted to highway maintenance," Chase said. "However, VDOT has a lot of highways to maintain -- more than 60,000 miles of highway statewide. In Northern Virginia, VDOT is responsible for 16,000 lane miles of roadway."

Officials want everyone’s help in order to prudently and efficiently repair the worst dangers.

“Motorists traveling across Virginia know best where the worst potholes lie. We want citizens to help us identify potholes as they form so that VDOT crews can quickly be dispatched to make repairs,” McDonnell said in a VDOT release. “VDOT crews, state police and contractors report potholes as they travel for their duties. This March, we are asking for citizen’s help to identify these hazards. All Virginians can be a part of this Pothole Blitz so we can work together to improve everyone’s safety and comfort as they travel through our great Commonwealth.”

VDOT only services potholes on state-owned roadways, including interstates and most primary and secondary roads. Towns are responsible for their own roads.

The schedule for fixing potholes is based on the hazards’ severity and location, with most of the large high-traffic road potholes being filled within 24 hours of occurrence. On other high-traffic roads, most potholes are repaired within four days of spotting.

"Even without the winter storms, the condition of Virginia's highways has been in steady decline for a number of years due to funding shortages," Chase said. "The condition of I-66 between the Capital Beltway and U.S. 50 is disgraceful."

"Ironically, and sadly, the average motorist is likely to pay more for a front-end alignment or tire replacement caused by a pothole than the cost of a 10-cent per gallon gas tax increase that would restore the fiscal healthof Virginia's highway maintenance program and stop the drain of construction dollars into maintenance," Chase said.

Patching operations are prioritized by pothole severity and location, with some severe potholes on high traffic roads being filled within 24 hours, and most potholes on higher traffic roads being repaired within four days.

To report a pothole, citizens should visit www.VirginiaDOT.org or call VDOT’s Highway Helpline at 800-367-7623 (ROAD). TTY users, call 711.

“We are going all-out to repair these pavements and make traveling safer and more comfortable for Virginians,” said McDonnell.