HARRISBURG, Pa. — The warm weather is a great indication that spring has arrived and with that, it's also pothole-filling season across Pa.
City of Harrisburg Public Works employees, led by Highway Manager John Watson, will be out on the city streets daily, filling and patching dangerous potholes.
"The sun and weather dictates when we can go out and fill potholes," says Watson. "Today is a perfect day. The potholes filled in good weather will last longer."
Harrisburg's Public Works team will fill potholes based on severity and urgency, but mainly based off of what they witness while out in the street.
To encourage more tips, Watson is urging city residents to report potholes using the city's online pothole reporting form which can be found here. At the website, you can drop a pin at the location of the pothole, enter a brief description to help crews locate it, and hit submit.
Tipsters can also call Public Works directly over the phone, at 717-412-4320.
When crews arrive at the scene, they will first try to remove any water and debris from the pothole. Then, during the late winter and early spring months, they'll use cold patch filling, which is designed specifically for pavement in colder weather.
Workers will mix the cold patch in a hot box to warm it up, then they tamper it down and steamroll it to make it compact, and fit tightly into the hole.
These are considered temporary fixes; Public Works will return during the warmer months to fill the holes with a hot mix.
"We know driving over the potholes are a problem. They can cause car issues and it's a hazard and eyesore," Watson said. "We in Public Works, we work for the residents and we want to keep the streets as safe as possible."
