LAKE BALBOA (CNS) - A “pothole blitz” by the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services aimed at fixing some of the damage inflicted on city streets after the above-average rainfall this year is set to kick into high gear today.
Fueled by an extra $250,000 in funding approved by the City Council recently, city workers have been out actively looking for potholes that need fixing, rather than the common practice of responding to sites reported by residents through the MyLA311 mobile app and phone number, which is the primary way the city receives pothole repair requests.
This is the second weekend of the four-weekend “pothole blitz,” but the first where actual potholes are being filled, as last weekend was focused on assessments and inspections, according to the Department of Public Works.
Councilwoman Nury Martinez, who introduced the motion calling for the “pothole blitz,” plans to hold a news conference in Lake Balboa to announce the number of identified potholes from last weekend's inspections.
“As you can tell by driving around our city, not only do you see these potholes, but they are becoming more and more apparent that we just can't keep up with the repairs,” Martinez said during a recent City Council meeting when the extra pothole funds were discussed.
The pothole motion, which was approved March 1, says the Bureau of Street Services received 3,911 pothole repair requests in January and was on pace to receive even more in February.
The motion also says that the MyLA311 mobile app and phone number is the primary way the city receives pothole repair requests, but that many communities are not “as savvy or educated in using MyLA311” as others, and that the city should proactively send crews out to identify unreported potholes over the four-weekend period.
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