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Philadelphia Launches 22-Member Pothole Squad to Fix Roads Within 48 Hours
Philadelphia has launched a dedicated 22-person Road Warriors Pothole Squad to repair reported potholes within 48 hours, after the city missed its previous repair target last year.
Philadelphia is deploying a dedicated team of 22 workers to identify and repair potholes across the city, with a goal of fixing reported damage within 48 hours. The Road Warriors Pothole Squad began operations Monday as part of the city's One Philly, A United City cleaning program.
The initiative follows a year in which Philadelphia fell short of its pothole repair goals. The city had aimed to fix 90% of reported potholes within three days but managed only 79% within that window. The Streets Department attributed the shortfall to crews being diverted to address other issues around the city.
Mayor Cherelle Parker believes the dedicated squad can help the city meet the more ambitious 48-hour target. The team is responsible for both identifying and repairing damaged roads within two days.
Residents can report potholes through a new city website, roadwarriorspotholesquad.org. The city also plans to track completed repairs on an online map, allowing residents to see how many potholes have been fixed and where, providing a clearer picture of progress.
While the team is expected to respond quickly, making lasting repairs within such a short timeframe could present challenges, officials acknowledged. The effort aims to give drivers a faster way to get damaged streets repaired while improving transparency around the city's road maintenance.
The new squad represents a targeted approach to a persistent problem for Philadelphia drivers, who have long contended with damaged roads. By dedicating a specific team to pothole repair rather than diverting crews from other tasks, the city hopes to improve response times and meet its new goal.