Encore for Gov's 'Pothole Blitz'

By Samantha Downing Sunday, April 04, 2010

RICHMOND – Virginia’s “pothole blitz” has been so successful that Gov. Bob McDonnell has extended the initiative until April 15.

The pothole blitz originally was scheduled only for the month of March. Since March 1, the Virginia Department of Transportation has patched, filled or repaired more than 120,000 potholes, McDonnell said last week.

“This has been a team effort starting with Virginia’s citizens who have helped identify and report potholes along their travels to VDOT’s Web site and call-in line,” McDonnell said.

Harsh winter conditions caused potholes to form faster than crews could repair them, and rain in March caused even more problems. VDOT crews have been working around the clock to repair the roads.

“I would like to especially thank VDOT and its contractors who have worked day and night to save many motorists the grief and annoyance and potential damage to their vehicle,” McDonnell said.

Citizens can report potholes by calling 800-367-7623 (ROAD) or visiting www.VirginiaDOT.org. VDOT crews are dispatched to assigned corridors, and the work is prioritized according to location and severity.

“The blitz is working, so we’re going to keep it up,” McDonnell said, “and we ask citizens to continue reporting potholes as soon as they develop.”

VDOT repairs potholes only on state-maintained roads. Citizens should contact their local public works agency for potholes on city streets.