Potholes crop up after recent storms

UPDATE 3/8/2016 5:15 PM:

Drivers may notice a bumpier commute after the recent rains. A lot of new potholes are popping up across the Central Coast, including Santa Cruz County.

Heavy rain often leads to a driver’s worst nightmare — potholes. The water can work its way under the asphalt, causing it to crack and start popping out.

City and county public works crews aren’t in a rush to fill them with a temporary patch just yet because more rain is expected this week.

“They’ll make it safe so it’s travelable,” said Mark Dettle, director of public works for the City of Santa Cruz. “Then they’ll monitor it and probably when we get a week of dry weather, we’ll send that crew out and do a permanent patch.”
Both the city and the county have its work cut out.

Santa Cruz County is responsible for 850 miles of roads, and crews repair 3,000-4,000 potholes a year. City officials say in the last three months, public works has repaired more than 125 potholes. The good news is, the city is planning to repave a number of city streets this year, including Grant Street, Soquel from Ocean to Dakota and King from Bay to Mission.

In the meantime, if there’s a pothole that you want fixed, the best way to do it is go to the City of Santa Cruz’s website. There’s a link on the home page for you.

ORIGINAL POST:

Potholes are cropping up all over the Central Coast following recent storms. Public works crews hope to temporarily patch the potholes before a permanent fix can be done.

Santa Cruz Public Works says the best way to report a pothole is by sharing the location on the city’s website.

KION’s Mariana Hicks finds out how quickly you can expect repairs on your local roads.