D.C. changes how it tracks, fills potholes this season

Mayor Muriel Bowser get some help filling a pothole from a neighborhood kid. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser gets some help filling a pothole from a neighborhood kid. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
A DDOT worker shovels the warm asphalt from the truck into the waiting potholes. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
A DDOT worker shovels the warm asphalt from the truck into the waiting potholes. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
A DDOT worker uses a jack hammer to break up the pavement that needs to be repaired. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
When asked if he wanted to help the mayor fill a pothole, the neighborhood kid told her he didn't know how. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
When asked if he wanted to help the mayor fill a pothole, a neighborhood kid told her he didn’t know how. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
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Mayor Muriel Bowser get some help filling a pothole from a neighborhood kid. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty
A DDOT worker shovels the warm asphalt from the truck into the waiting potholes. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
When asked if he wanted to help the mayor fill a pothole, the neighborhood kid told her he didn't know how. (WTOP/Megan Cloherty)

WASHINGTON — With the colors and warm weather of spring, comes traffic and construction noise as road crews are out repairing thousands of potholes in D.C.

The sound of jack hammering isn’t pleasant, but it’s a sound many neighborhoods want to hear.

“Potholes in certain areas kind of rendered our streets like the surface of the moon,” said D.C. Council member Mary Cheh, who represents Ward 3.

Cheh welcomed District Department of Transportation crews to her Northwest neighborhood as the mayor kicked off the eighth annual Potholepalooza.

Instead of paper orders, crews now have a tablet that updates reported potholes in real time.

“Now with these tablets in the field, the crews can see the concentration of the potholes and take care of the entire area,” says DDOT Director Leif Dormsjo.

The District says crews will fill potholes reported by residents who call 311, use the 311 app or post online within 72 hours.

Megan Cloherty

WTOP Investigative Reporter Megan Cloherty primarily covers breaking news, crime and courts.

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