Traffic & Transportation
800,000 Potholes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 17, 2008
MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA FILLS A MAJOR MILESTONE FOR THE CITY’S POTHOLE REPAIR PROGRAM
Operation Pothole, the nation’s single largest pothole repair effort, has filled 800,000 potholes citywide and continues to improve the roadways, traffic conditions and quality of life for residents and motorists in Los Angeles
With Board of Public Works President Cynthia Ruiz, Bureau of Street Services Director Bill Robertson and members of the City’s Operation Pothole Patch-Up Squad on hand, Mayor Villaraigosa made the milestone street repair announcement at a news conference held at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Wadsworth Avenue in South Los Angeles. Following the announcement, Mayor Villaraigosa rolled up his sleeves, donned a Bureau of Street Services vest and boots, powered-up the patch-up machine and repaired the 800,000th pothole of the Operation Pothole program.
“The Operation Pothole Patch-Up Squad has worked around the clock - day in and day out - to fix two of the City’s biggest problems; potholes and traffic congestion,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “These street repairs have dramatically improved our roads, and have allowed Angelenos to save time on their commutes, money in repairs and have provided safety on the road.”
In just 2 ½ years, Operation Pothole and the Pothole Patch-Up Squad have repaired a total of 800,000 potholes, street cracks and eroded streets citywide.
“The Operation Pothole initiative and the Pothole Patch-Up Squad will continue its ongoing efforts to fill every pothole and smooth over the cracks that bring street traffic to a halt,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “Fixing the larger problem of traffic in Los Angeles means getting down to the street level and plugging the small holes too.”
Operation Pothole, the nation’s single largest pothole repair program initiated to fix the City’s bumpiest roads and pothole-heavy streets, has aided in making Los Angeles’ roads safer for commuters and has created a smoother driving experience for the City’s motorists.
ABOUT OPERATION POTHOLE
Mayor Villaraigosa initiated the Operation Pothole program in August 2005, when he tasked the Bureau of Street Services and the Pothole Patch-Up Squad with the job of filling 35,000 potholes in a 14-week span. The Operation Pothole Patch-Up Squad not only accomplished the task, but, they exceeded it by more than 45,000 repairs, filling a grand total of 80,173 potholes by December 2005.
Following the success of the initial Operation Pothole mission, Mayor Villaraigosa challenged the Bureau of Street Services and the Pothole Patch-Up Squad to fill 300,000 potholes for the 2006-2007 fiscal year. The Pothole Patch-Up once again successfully completed the task by not only filling the 300,000 potholes the Mayor asked of them, but, filled an extra 7,767 for good measure.
The 307,767 potholes filled during the 2006-2007 fiscal year was an amazing feat, as it marked a 22% increase of potholes filled from the previous year of 2005-2006, and also marked a 66% increase from the total number of potholes filled in 2004-2005, the year prior to the start of the Villaraigosa Administration.
As part a targeted, more concentrated effort under the Operation Pothole initiative, Mayor Villaraigosa also launched Operation Smooth Ride. Operation Smooth Ride served as a traffic congestion relief initiative aimed at repairing the 25 most congested transportation corridors and intersections in Los Angeles. Through this concentrated effort, the City’s Pothole Patch-Up Squad repaired potholes, street cracks, asphalts, surfaces, failing bases, street erosion, gutters and ruts.
Following the success of the first two Operation Pothole challenges and the Operation Smooth Ride program, Mayor Villaraigosa issued a third challenge to the Bureau of Street Services and the Pothole Patch-Up Squad, this time, to fill 350,000 potholes during the current 2007-2008 fiscal year. If successful, this would mark a 17% increase in potholes filled during the 2006-2007 fiscal year, a 42 % increase in potholes filled during the 2005-2006 fiscal year and a 79% increase in potholes filled during the 2004-2005 fiscal year.
To date, the Pothole Patch Squad has filled 258,268 out of 350,000 for this year.