In Oakland, The Pothole Fix Is In

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Oakland's street crews continue working overtime to repair hundreds of rough roads, especially in neglected neighborhoods as part of the so-called "pothole blitz."

The city's roads have been battered by back-to-back wet winters and left to crumble as officials deferred $500 million in maintenance. Under those conditions, really deep potholes have formed almost everywhere. 

Residents like Yara Marquez said the the conditions have taken a toll on their vehicles.

"Always flatten down the tires, always being with things getting inside the tires, always having problems with that," said Marquez on Tuesday. "But now, it's very, very good that they're fixing that." 

The intensified pothole repair project entails three weeks of repairs across Oakland, but Mayor Libby Schaaf says this is just the beginning of more extensive improvements to city streets. 

"Pothole filing today is going to become repaving tomorrow," said Schaaf. 

The city council has approved a three-year, $100-million repaving plan, focusing on the city's most overlooked communities.

Some vigilante pothole repairers have also been fixing Oakland's roads, but they've used a filler product that doesn't last nearly as long as materials put in place by city workers, officials said. 

"We do not recommend you doing very technical public work," Schaaf said about the do-it-yourself pothole repair team. "Again, I condone the spirit and the sense of not just complaining, but helping to do something about it."

Instead, Schaaf said potholes should be reported to the city by calling 311 or going to the city's website.