Sacramento city workers fill nearly 8,000 potholes during 49-day ‘blitz’
More than 7,700 potholes were filled by Sacramento city crews during a 49-day “blitz” that utilized overtime, as directed by the city manager.
The Department of Public Works’ street maintenance division filled a total of 7,761 potholes, according to a city news release. Just under 2,000 were filled within the 4th City Council District, which encompasses downtown, midtown and East Sacramento. The fewest potholes were addressed in the 1st District in North Natomas and the 7th District, which includes Land Park and the Pocket/Greenhaven neighborhoods.
City officials determined which potholes would be filled based on recommendations from the eight City Council offices, pavement condition data, service requests submitted by residents and public works field inspections.
During the work, which occurred mostly in March and April, two employees drove through the city to identify other potholes or road imperfections not mentioned before work began.
Crews were granted overtime, which was mostly used on weekends, so workers could “expand repair capacity and accelerate response times,” city spokesperson Gabby Miller said. She did not identify how much overtime was utilized to complete the project.
“The blitz approach allowed Public Works to dedicate focused staffing and resources over a concentrated period of time to address a large volume of roadway concerns quickly,” Miller said.
The construction began soon after City Manager Maraskeshia Smith announced the effort during a March City Council meeting.
“It’s been one of the most consistent things I’ve heard on my ride-alongs — the potholes,” Smith said during the meeting, referring to community engagement she has done since assuming her role in January. “We’re not going to mill and pave over any streets. We’re just focused on potholes.”
The “pothole blitz” was completed using existing roadway maintenance resources, so a specific project budget was not identified, Miller said.
For the current fiscal year, which ends in June, about $14.1 million was distributed to the city for road maintenance, rehabilitation and transportation safety work. The funding, allocated through California’s Road Maintenance Rehabilitation Account, comes from the gas tax established by Senate Bill 1 and vehicle registration fees.
Residents can report potholes by describing the size and location of the divot through the 311 app or in an email to 311@cityofsacramento.org. It can also be reported by calling 311, when within city limits, or 916-808-5011.
