Pothole University

City tackles road rite of spring

Potholes are wreaking havoc on drivers’ vehicles and their nerves after one of the toughest winters Santa Fe has seen in years.
“This has been the worst pothole season that we can remember,” says Kristine Mihelcic, constituent and council services director for the city.
The city posted a video of their efforts to confront pothole proliferation to its Facebook page on Monday, titled “Potholes 101.” The video demonstrated the process of filling a pothole step by step. Mihelcic tells SFR the video was not meant to teach residents how to fill their own potholes, but was instead an effort to “raise pothole awareness.”
Rather than buying asphalt and engaging in pothole vigilantism, Mihelcic recommends that residents who find potholes throughout Santa Fe report them to the city at 955-6949.
Pothole Season

Winter may be over, but pothole season is upon us! Please post the location, size and picture of a pothole (if possible) or call 505-955-3000 or 505-955-6949!

Posted by City of Santa Fe on Monday, March 4, 2019

The comments section of the Facebook post quickly filled with residents identifying potholes or simply confirming that they are in fact a problem. The city’s replies include, “Thanks for the comment. We plan on taking care of the potholes, no need for you to organize a pothole fixing party,” and “We are sorry to hear you needed this two years ago, but if you see one now let us know and we will add it to our list.”

Other commenters said that their potholes had been fixed quickly, or confirmed as much to SFR.
The city clarified that the video it posted was of a cold-weather fix, which is easier, faster and will still set even in low temperatures or heavy moisture. A more involved process exists that involves cutting out pieces of the street and filling them with a more permanent mix, but it requires warmer, dryer weather to set properly. Mihelcic said that crews look for periods of good weather, usually above 42 degrees with low humidity, to do more permanent fixes.

Thursday met the criteria, and Mihelcic said that crews could usually manage to complete about six jobs a day.

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