LITTLE ROCK – Repair of potholes caused by last month's winter storm continued across Little Rock this week as improved weather conditions allowed for Public Works Department crews to implement permanent repairs on many city streets.

Since repairs began on Jan. 22, the City has used nearly 300,000 pounds of materials to fix potholes caused by water that seeped under pavement, turned to ice and then thawed. Collectively, 45 City team members have been working daily across Little Rock, prioritizing major thoroughfares.

This repair work has been done alongside counterparts at the Arkansas Department of Transportation, which is responsible for upkeep and maintenance of state and U.S. highways within the city limits. State-maintained roads include Cantrell Road, Broadway Street, Asher Avenue, Colonel Glenn Road, Roosevelt Road, Stagecoach Road and Arch Street south of Roosevelt. 

"I want to share my appreciation and gratitude on behalf of all our residents for the excellent progress our Public Works team has made in the past few days on pothole repair," said Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. "The long-term freeze followed by almost a week of consistent rainfall have made this a tremendous challenge, not just for our team but for ArDOT and others across the region. Local and state crews are out in force to make needed repairs and improve conditions for drivers."

Mayor Scott encouraged residents to report potholes by calling 311, or preferably, downloading and using the City of Little Rock's 311 app. Crews make pothole repairs by driving city streets to identify problem areas and also through responding to 311 requests. It typically takes two to three days for a repair once a request is submitted through 311.

This week, crews have used "hot mix" asphalt material that permanently repairs potholes, rather than the "cold mix" used last week because of the excessive rainfall. The cold mix is effective, but only as a temporary solution. All repairs made with cold mix will be re-done with hot mix materials in the near future.

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