NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – After a long winter, thousands of potholes are slated to be filled across New York City on Saturday, kicking off this year’s pothole season.
Department of Transportation Commissioner Hank Gutman said 60 crews were out throughout the city Saturday to fill about 5,000 potholes in one day.
“Imagine paving a road from here to Los Angeles and back and then back again,” Gutman said.
That’s how much the city has paved in pothole repairs so far during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, according to Gutman. It includes 65,000 potholes that have already been filled since the start of this year alone.
It’s part of a greater effort to improve city streets, which these days are being used for more than driving. With outdoor dining and more bicyclists out, it's only more motivation to get the job done right, Gutman said.
“Years ago, one might have looked at this as something that was for the benefit of motorists—and cyclists, sort of, right? Now cyclists are a huge part of the people using the streets,” he said.
While it was a rough winter for the city’s streets, using a good quality pothole filler means making fewer of the same repairs each year. Gutman said crews are using the same asphalt that’s used to repave the streets.
“If the streets are in better shape to begin with, that reduces the number of potholes. The numbers have been going down,” he said.