CITY HALL — The city is prepared to deal with pothole season thanks to increased funding in the city budget, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday.
Emanuel said $10 million he added to the city's 2015 budget doubled the allotment to the Department of Transportation for pothole and pavement maintenance and enabled street-repair crews to concentrate full time on patching potholes through the winter.
The mayor said 32 crews are deployed on the street throughout the city, with additional crews available and some working weekends.
"Whether it's plowing our roads, patching potholes or repaving streets, we’re making sure Chicago residents can keep moving in all seasons,” Emanuel said. "City workers have been doing a great job, and as we get closer to the peak of pothole season we will all be doing everything we can to ensure our streets are patched, paved and passable."
According to the Mayor's Press Office, the department has cut the time from getting a report of a pothole to having it patched to 2½ days, with 465 pending pothole repair requests Tuesday afternoon. That's after the city filled a record 920,172 potholes last year with the brutal winter.
Chicagoans can report potholes by calling 311 or using the city's 311 website. They can also initiate the process by texting "Chicago" to 311311. Progress can be monitored online through the city's pothole tracker.
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