Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Iris Weinshall today kicked off the City's 2006 Pothole Blitz. Starting this weekend and continuing through mid-March, 30 DOT crews will hit New York's Streets and fill more than 1,200 potholes with 90 tons of asphalt each day. The Mayor and Commissioner also announced that, with $15 million in increased funding, DOT will repave nearly 900 lane miles of City streets this year, a 15% increase over 2005. DOT has already repaired nearly 102,000 potholes and resurfaced 577 lane miles of roadway since the beginning of the current Fiscal Year. Last year DOT filled 262,000 potholes setting a five year record for pothole repairs.

"There is nothing quite like the sinking feeling you get when you hit a pothole," said Mayor Bloomberg. "While we can't stop rain, snow and cold from making potholes, we can make sure they get fixed as soon as possible. This pothole filling blitz will allow us to minimize the unfortunate bumps and swerves that invariably plague our streets after winter hits."

"After four harsh winters, Mother Nature has given us a break with a relatively mild winter," said Commissioner Weinshall. "Nevertheless, it's pothole season and DOT crews are out in full force to make this mild winter a smooth one."

Potholes are created when moisture seeps into the pavement, freezes, expands, and then thaws, creating a void that eventually collapses under the pounding of traffic. They are repaired using a hot asphalt mixture, much of which is manufactured at DOT's asphalt plant on Hamilton Avenue in Brooklyn. Since the fiscal year began, DOT has manufactured 6,500 tons of asphalt for pothole repairs.

Over 800,000 potholes have been filled since Mayor Bloomberg took office in January of 2002 and 311 has proven invaluable in helping DOT respond to pothole complaints. In FY 2005 DOT repaired potholes reported to 311 in an average of 4 days and 98% of all pothole complaints were filled within 30 days.