PSA: That city hotline number for potholes is a total dead end

Someone in my building's Facebook group said to call the city's 311 line for pothole reports, so I tried it 3 times last week for a crater on Elm Street near the gas station. Each time they said it was logged, but nothing happened for 6 days. I finally found out from a guy at the hardware store that you gotta email the public works supervisor directly with photos. He got his pothole fixed in 48 hours that way. Has anyone else had the 311 route totally fail like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_nguyen17d ago

Yeah, that tracks with my experience. I’ve called 311 multiple times for potholes and gotten nowhere, but the one time I emailed a photo to the public works supervisor it was patched in two days. @christopherh79 might’ve gotten lucky with timing, but in my city, the hotline is just a dead end unless it’s a major hazard. Photos and direct emails seem to be the only way to cut through the red tape, at least where I live.

christopherh7923d ago

I get what you're saying, but I've actually had pretty good luck with 311. Called them about a sinkhole on my block and they had it filled in three days. Maybe it depends on the city or how busy they are?

jessica70723d ago

Did you take photos when you called 311? I had the exact same runaround last fall, wasted a week waiting on them. @christopherh79 might have gotten lucky with timing, but in my experience the phone line is basically a black hole. Emailing the public works supervisor directly with a photo and the cross streets is the only thing that's ever worked for me. They can't ignore a picture of a tire-destroying pothole sitting in their inbox.