It’s already begun, and it’s only going to get worse, Philly. This pothole season is likely going to be one of the worst in recent memory. 

Yeah, you’ve already seen potholes opening up in the city's streets. And if it seemed like they opened up earlier than usual, that's because THEY DID. I started seeing potholes in my South Philly neighborhood back in mid-January. Normally, they don't start to be THAT bad until the middle of February.

Why 2022 Could Be The Worst Pothole Season Ever in Philadelphia, PA

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But as we know this has been a CRAZY winter with temperatures constantly going up and down. The constant cycle of a warm-up followed by cooldowns helps to open up the holes in the roads in our area. So you know how we've seen the weather going from 60 degrees one day to 20 degrees with snow and ice the next... basically all winter? Yeah, that's gonna make things pretty bad.
Plus, road salt can make it worse, and while we didn't have any record-breaking snows, it seemed like road crews were salting the roads at least once a week ahead of an ice or snowstorm. so that will only further complicate things. 

An increase in spring rains also can help drive the opening up of these craters in the roadways. Currently, the National Weather Service says we should have an average spring in terms of rainfall. Of course, that can change. But a ton of rain this spring will only make things worse. 
Plus, after we were all at home for nearly 2 years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the traffic certainly has increased in recent months. The increased traffic makes it nearly impossible for officials to keep up with potholes.

How Many Potholes Are On The Streets in Philly?

Harsh Winter Creates High Number Of Potholes On New York City's Roads
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Some routes in the city are handled by the City of Philadelphia’s Street Department. Others are handled by PennDOT. Click here to view a list of state-operated streets. 

So for the city's roadways, PhillyMag estimates that the City’s street department fills fewer than 30,000 potholes during a “good year,” but that number can soar to as 50,000 - 70,000 potholes in a bad year, they say.

In 2021 PhillyMag estimated that the City filled just over 40,000 potholes. PennDOT does NOT keep track of how many potholes they fill.

How Do You Report Potholes in Philadelphia?

You can report a pothole in Philadelphia by calling 311 or submitting a request online by clicking here. 

Unfortunately, even after one of these is filled up, they open back up quickly. After all, as all Philly drivers know, these things tend to open right back up year after year.

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