Houston's Pothole Problem Still An Epidemic, Officials Say

HOUSTON — When Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner ran for the top job in 2015, a big part of that promise was to fix those Houston roadways that were inundated with potholes. But whether the issue of Houston's pothole problem has been adequately addressed all depends on whom you ask.

So far, Bill King and Tony Buzbee, who are both challenging Turner for his mayoral seat, say Turner’s promise to fix Houston’s epidemic pothole problem has fallen flat.

While the city says it can fill 300 potholes per day, King, citing a KTRK report, said in a press release the city falling short of that commitment.

"Why is the public works department using less asphalt to repair the roads than it was using 10 years ago," King asked. "You stood out on the streets of Houston nearly three years ago to the day promising to fill 300 potholes a day. Why hasn’t that promise been fulfilled?"

On Monday, Turner announced an impressive 100 percent success rate in next-day pothole repairs called into 311 for the year 2018 as part of the mayor's signature pothole initiative.

"We are consistently hitting our target to address potholes reported through 311 to fill those by the next business day," he said.

In January 2016, Turner launched his initiative — a pothole tracking system called houstonpotholes.org — to assess and address each pothole by the next business day after it’s reported through the city’s 311 system.

Turner said that since its inception, the program has filled 165,000 potholes and counting.

"City repair crews have maintained consistent performance in the aftermath of major disasters such as the Tax Day Flood, Memorial Day Flood and Hurricane Harvey," Turner said.

POTHOLES PROACTIVELY FILLED
Year Potholes Filled **
2015 73,635
2016 59,118
2017 63,657
2018* 35,597
**In 2015 a pothole was defined as any area of missing or severely deteriorated pavement up to 2 feet by 2 feet. In 2016 a pothole was redefined as any area of missing or severely deteriorated pavement up to 5 feet by 5 feet.

Turner added that he and the Public Works Department are aware that the pothole issue is a continuous and ongoing problem in Houston.

"That's why we are here...," he said.

Turner also challenged Houston Public Works Director Carol Haddock and her team to replace more street panels. A street panel removes a severely worn section of the street and replaces it with a new one, This allows the City to extend the life of a street and improve mobility without a complete reconstruction.

To learn more about Houston's pothole initiative, click here.

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