BOISE, Idaho — Last week, the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) started its campaign to keep up with potholes in the Treasure Valley this spring.
The ACHD's annual 'Pothole Days' happens the first week of April. During the campaign, the highway district takes the time to focus on filling potholes ahead of the summer months.
Many Idahoans are looking forward to the long, smooth drives with our windows down as the weather warms up.
"In the winter time, that is when it's very common to see potholes form. In asphalt," ACHD Deputy Director of Maintenance, Jennifer Berenger, said. "Potholes are born when water gets into the surface a little bit. It's really a good opportunity as we are leaving the winter months and starting to head into the summer months, to address some of those and smooth the roadways as smooth as possible."
Although filling potholes is a year-round job, ACHD's annual campaign prioritizes the road repairs and educates the public on the work being done.
"It really is just an educational campaign," Berenger said. "It's an opportunity for us to get out and fill some potholes. And let the public know how to let 'us' know about potholes."
Berenger said ACHD received a high number of reports from the community during this year's 'Pothole Days.' Amid the week-long campaign, ACHD filled 369 potholes in Ada County.
"Very successful in the number we were able to fill this week," Berenger said. "We generally fill up about 2,000 to 2,500 in a year. The bulk generally happens in the January, February, march timeframe."
Help from the community is critical for the year-round job, according to Berenger. During 'Pothole Days,' Ada County drivers are encouraged to report potholes for ACHD crews to fix.
"We have over 5,200 miles of roads that Ada County Highway District covers, so we can't have eyes on every single road all the time," Berenger said. "So, we really lean on the public to let us know when they see a pothole on their drive."
Berenger said it takes the Ada County Highway District around 24 hours to fill a pothole after a report is made from a member of the community. Reports of potholes can be sent to ACHD by visiting their website.
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