State launches pothole repair campaign

Along with spring comes potholes and the New Jersey Department of Transportation is stepping up its pothole repair program. Pothole repair crews are fanning out statewide as workers make permanent repairs to what is expected to be a bumper crop of potholes this year due to the unusually harsh winter weather. The state’s Acting Commissioner Jim Simpson encourages motorists to report potholes online at ww.state.nj.us/transportation or by calling 1-800-POTHOLE. “Filling potholes is a year-round safety priority at NJDOT, but the job intensifies each spring when the weather helps create large numbers of these road hazards,” Simpson said. “With hundreds of our employees on patrol and motorists reporting potholes to us, we will tackle this perennial problem in a timely manner.” Since January, NJDOT road crews have filled about 45,000 potholes with cold asphalt patch material. With the arrival of warmer weather, they are starting to switch to hot asphalt patch material which provides for longer lasting repairs. NJDOT expects to repair more than 150,000 potholes for the fiscal year ending June 30. Last year, the department spent $2.2 million and used 4,800 tons of patch material to fill 121,000 potholes.