150,000 potholes filled during ‘blitz’

The Virginia Department of Transportation patched more than 150,000 potholes through the month of March and first half of April, Gov. Bob McDonnell announced at the end of the state’s “pothole blitz.”

April 18, 2010; 8:18 PM • by Valerie Catrow

From Samantha Downing of the Captial News Service…

“Historic blizzards added to an already cold and wet winter season, resulting in a bumper crop of roadway hazards this spring,” McDonnell said Thursday.

At the end of February, he instructed VDOT to focus on filling potholes during the month of March. McDonnell extended the pothole blitz through April 15 after wet weather in March slowed progress and caused more potholes to form.

VDOT called on citizens to help during the blitz by reporting the location of potholes by phone or via the Internet. VDOT filled potholes according to location and severity along designated routes.

As the weather gets warm, McDonnell asked VDOT to turn its attention to full-fledged pavement operations rather than patching.

This spring, more than $134 million worth of paving projects already have been contracted, and VDOT will advertise $84 million more in paving projects in upcoming weeks. April 15 is the beginning of Virginia’s paving season when contractors will work on permanent patches and new, smooth driving surfaces.

“I would like to thank the citizens that have helped by reporting potholes,” McDonnell said. “I also thank the hard workers at VDOT for their diligence in repairing the thousands of potholes so Virginians could travel smoothly.”

Citizens can continue report potholes on state-maintained roads to VDOT. To report a pothole, visit www.VirginiaDOT.org or call VDOT’s Highway Helpline at 800-367-7623 (ROAD).