Potomac Potholes Persevere

Uploaded to flickr.com by parks_traveler

So how many bureaucrats does it take to fix a pothole?

Sadly, there’s no punch line to this joke, and the actual tally keeps climbing.  Over a month ago THIH reported how dangerous the driving conditions are on a short stretch of Potomac Avenue SE.

After engaging the mayor’s citywide call center twice, I forwarded the pothole problem to Councilman Tommy Wells.  Mr. Wells promptly emailed me back, agreeing that the potholes were dangerous and causing drivers to swerve into oncoming traffic.  He mentioned that his office has also been trying to get the issue addressed.  He was kind enough to forward my email to a couple of people at DDOT, who tracked my call center request down and emailed back that the potholes would be addressed “by Tuesday next week” (being Tuesday August 31).

Tuesday has come and gone, and the potholes are still there.  I’ve received word from DDOT that the sent out a crew on Tuesday but the potholes cannot be filled.  Instead the ruts require a more in-depth paving treatment called a deep patch or overlay.  DDOT is “in the process of scheduling the work.”  Counting the initial call center operator, these potholes have taken at least seven city employees to fix so far, and they haven’t been fixed yet.  Our tax dollars at work, apparently.

Perhaps THIH should take up a collection for some asphalt.