Oakland announces ‘pothole blitz’ to repair storm-damaged roads

OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — The City of Oakland has announced it will kick off a “pothole blitz” to repair roads and streets that were hammered by intense winter storms and wet weather over the past two months. The Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) will address the damage by focusing “the entirety of its in-house roadway maintenance effort on potholes and minor repairs,” according to a statement sent out by the office of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on Tuesday.

“We welcome much-needed rain but we cannot deny heavy storms are bad for our streets,” said Mayor Thao. “Now that spring is around the corner, OakDOT is going to focus on some TLC for our rain-battered roads. I want to thank our hardworking crews who will be filling potholes in every part of Our Town as we emerge from a very wet winter.”

“I certainly understand the frustration of Oakland residents. We believe this “Pothole Blitz” will greatly benefit the Oakland Community, especially in Communities of Concern, where aging infrastructure is most susceptible to storm damage. Our goal is to significantly reduce the backlog of reported potholes by May of this year,” added Fred Kelley, Department of Transportation director.

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Like the rest of the Bay Area, Oakland has been hard-hit by heavy rains and storms this year. Storms and rain inflicted damage to roads and streets with wet weather making it harder for crews to do repairs, “as ground must be dry for the work to be done,” the mayor’s office stated.

The “pothole blitz” is expected to kick off when the current round of rain passes and will prioritize potholes and other minor repairs based on the severity of the damage. The program’s goal is to “substantially eliminate the backlog of pothole requests by May 1,” the mayor’s statement said. “At that time, roads and reports will be assessed to see if the ‘pothole blitz’ should continue.”