PennDOT encourages drivers to report potholes

PennDOT is encouraging drivers to report potholes in order to get crews out to fix them as soon as possible.

PennDOT said Friday that they are reminding motorists that potholes and other roadway concerns on state roads can be reported by calling 1-800-FIX-ROAD or visiting www.penndot.gov and clicking on “Submit Roadway Feedback.”

“Extreme fluctuations in temperatures coupled with an active snow season is causing an early outbreak of potholes in the Philadelphia region, especially on older roadway surfaces,” said PennDOT District 6 Executive Kenneth M. McClain. “We encourage the public to report pothole locations to our toll-free number or online, so crews can schedule repairs as quickly as possible.”

PennDOT maintenance and contractor crews will be working on more than 70 state highways next week to repair deteriorated pavements across the five-county Philadelphia region. The roadways include:

Chester County

• Route 100 in West Whiteland Township;

• U.S. 30 Bypass in West Sadsbury, Sadsbury, West Caln, Valley, Caln, East Caln, West Whiteland, East Whiteland, Willistown, Tredyffrin, Easttown townships, Downingtown Borough;

• Route 401 (Conestoga Road) in Elverson Borough, West Nantmeal, East Nantmeal, West Vincent, Upper Uwchlan, West Pikeland, Charlestown, East Whiteland townships;

• Lower Pine Creek Road in West Pikeland Township;

• Yellow Springs Road in Charlestown, Tredyffrin townships;

• Strasburg Road in East Goshen, West Goshen townships;

• Goshen Road in East Goshen, Willistown townships;

• Marshall Street in West Chester Borough;

• Goshen Road in West Goshen Township;

• Phoenixville Pike in West Goshen, West Whiteland townships;

• Creek Road in Thornbury Township;

• Westtown Road in Westtown Township, West Goshen townships;

• Garfield Avenue in West Goshen Township; and

• Boot Road in Downingtown Borough, East Caln, East Bradford, West Whiteland, West Goshen, East Goshen townships.

Montgomery County

• U.S. 202 in Montgomery, Upper Gwynedd townships;

• U.S. 422 in Montgomery County;

• Route 29 in Collegeville, Perkiomen townships;

• Route 463 in Horsham Township;

• Gulph Road in Upper Merion Township;

• Morris Road in Worcester, Whitpain townships;

• Matsonford Road in Upper Merion Township;

• Neiffer Road in Limerick Township;

• Ridge Avenue in Limerick, Lower Pottsgrove, Upper Providence townships, Collegeville, Trappe boroughs; and

• Lewis Road in Royersford Borough.

The patching operations, which are weather dependent, will result in traffic slowdowns and backups as lane closures will be in effect where state and contractor crews are working.

Since Dec. 1, 2017, PennDOT maintenance crews have placed more than 600 tons of patching material on state roads in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. PennDOT’s contractors have also performed various patching operations in the region. A pothole develops when water seeps below the road through small cracks in the pavement surface. As the water repeatedly freezes and thaws due to temperature fluctuations, a cavity forms below the surface and larger cracks develop, which destroys the strength of the pavement.

When reporting a pothole, citizens are asked to be as specific as possible when providing pothole locations or other maintenance concerns such as deer removal or signing issues. For state routes, citizens must report the county, municipality, street name and route number, or the state route (SR) number that can be found on small black and white signs posted along state roadways. Citizens should also provide a description of any familiar landmarks that will help PennDOT locate the problem area.

Once notified, PennDOT will plan, prioritize and address roadway concerns as weather conditions allow.

The 1-800-FIX-ROAD number should not be used to report traffic accidents, disabled vehicles, or other emergencies. Motorists should continue to call 911 to report those types of incidents.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 850 traffic cameras.