Seattle’s recent snowstorm wreaked havoc on city roads, but there’s not much SDOT can do — yet.
In Ballard alone, a couple dozen new potholes have opened up. One, on 85th Ave NW, is big enough to swallow a small car (see photo above).
The map below shows recently reported potholes (in blue) and holes that have been filled in the past 90 days (in green).
Normally, SDOT receives 10 to 20 requests to fill potholes per day. But, last Wednesday alone, they logged 135 requests. Usually they can fill them within three days of being reported, but that’s not realistic at the moment, SDOT’s Dawn Schellenberg says.Â
“Repairs happening right now might not last long. We can’t use ‘hot mix’ asphalt in significantly cold and wet weather,” she explained. For cold weather, they use a “cold mix”, but it’s a temporary solution and will require crews to return. She said it might take up to three months to get caught up.
“This spring when have a two- or three-week span of dry warmer weather we expect to do pothole filling blitz,” she said.
Photo courtesy Kerry from the My Ballard Group