POTHOLE PALOOZA: The postmortem

| Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

(Reader-texted photo from 35th/Othello last Thursday, final official day of SDOT’s ‘Pothole Palooza’)

It started loudly, and ended quietly. After commenter Bolo asked if SDOT‘s trumpeted Pothole Palooza had ended, we asked, and got the reply today.

Short version: Yes.

Longer, from SDOT spokesperson Sue Romero: “Our Pothole Palooza campaign has finished, although pothole-filling is always ongoing for our crews. During the 11-day campaign (April 17 to 27), crews filled about 8,400 potholes; in the 2-week period of the campaign that included Friday, April 28, crews had filled 8,700 potholes.” (No regional breakout.)

According to an SDOT video wrapping up Pothole Palooza, that’s close to half the number of potholes their crews fixed in the entirety of 2016 (19,074). SDOT workers got extra help from Seattle Parks workers during PP. And as Romero said, they’ll continue responding to pothole reports – you can file them online here (see the pothole-report map here), call 206-684-ROAD, and/or use the city’s Find It, Fix It app.

P.S. As for repaving instead of just pothole-filling – here’s our most-recent followup on the Roxbury and Avalon projects that are planned “as soon as 2019.”

Jay Koster May 2, 2017 (10:51 pm)

It’s a bit disappointing. Some of the patches on 35th between Othello and Myrtle are already starting to depress into little sinkholes.

You wouldn’t think they’d have just been through there less than a week ago.

bolo May 2, 2017 (11:20 pm)

Yes I did notice yesterday they had (finally) filled some of the seams, holes, and fissures on Fauntleroy near the Triangle (part of the upcoming “boulevard” project). Unfortunately, under the pressure of the heavy traffic this section sees regularly, many “repairs” had opened up again and all that was left was small asphalt crumbs scattered about.

Dave II May 2, 2017 (11:25 pm)

Coincidentally drove down 35th today and noticed the patches. Much better. Thank you SDOT.

BrianD May 3, 2017 (5:13 am)

“crews had filled 8,700 potholes.” Now they know how many potholes it takes to fill McCaw Hall…

West Seattle since 1979 May 3, 2017 (8:41 am)

Comment of the Week! Nice one.

Trickycoolj May 3, 2017 (7:29 am)

Things I reported before this Palooza definitely were not addressed.

Scott May 3, 2017 (8:57 am)

I wounder why they are braking up already could it be because there is more traffic travling down one lane of road rather then two lanes like before. Plus we need real fixes, not this fake fix they are doing. Because they will have to come back and fix it again later.

wetone May 3, 2017 (9:43 am)

The material used is not a permanent fix. In dry environment and light traffic it will last awhile. In Seattle with it’s rain and traffic, much being heavy vehicles such as buses, garbage trucks, large trucks and even cars the material used breaks down quickly. Thing is no one questions where all the disintegrating patchwork material (oils and rock) goes when it breaks down and what impact it has on environment and infrastructure ; )

BJG May 3, 2017 (12:14 pm)

We know what doesn’t last in this climate and high-usage roadways. What is being used in other parts of the world that does last? The crumbling pieces of patch material become projectiles within weeks.

Marty May 4, 2017 (9:29 am)

You can tell a permanent patch by the tar around the edges. The tar helps the patch adhere to the surrounding road structure. It would make more sense to do it right once instead of poorly three times.