Boston says it’s fixing potholes, but this investigation found otherwise
Walk around Boston, and you might still see gnarly potholes, partially-filled pits, or orange caution cones covering holes, even though the City of Boston deems them “closed’’ cases.
A report by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting (NECIR) found that the city has been implying potholes are fixed when many still pose threats to drivers and passersby.
The city repaired 9,000 potholes between this January and June, Boston’s Public Works interim commissioner Michael Dennehy told NECIR. Potholes form on roads due to rain and snow seeping into the cracks. As this moisture freezes, it expands and breaks open the road. In the US, potholes can set motorists back a total of $6.4 billion a year in damage to tires, wheels, shocks, and struts, according to AAA.
NECIR reporters paid visits to 78 potholes the city deemed “closed’’ and found that nearly half of them were not repaired up to the department’s own standards.
For instance, some holes were just not fixed because crews deemed the road belonged to a state agency, according to the investigation. Others had caved back in, or crews had filled the pothole but didn’t fix others at the same location as they are required to do. In a response to the story, a city spokesperson told NECIR that sometimes crews can run out of hot-top material or time, or find a car or truck blocking the pothole.
“That’s unacceptable,’’ Dennehy told NECIR. “I think we need to revisit how we close cases.’’
The city encourages constituents to report potholes through the mobile app Citizens Connect, through which residents can tell the city about potholes, graffiti, or damaged signs.
NECIR is encouraging people to tweet about the potholes they’ve reported with the hashtag #holesinthesystem.
To read the entire NECIR report, click here.
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