Hundreds of potholes are being filled across Brisbane every single day, as teams work around the clock to find and fill the pesky holes, which have been exacerbated by recent rainfall.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the current wet season has led to nearly 700 urgent pothole repair requests through December and January to date and was on track to continue until February.
“Rainfall is great for our gardens, but heavy downpours can quickly cause potholes of all shapes and sizes to appear on our road network,” Cr Schrinner said.
“We can’t control the weather, so Team Schrinner has ensured we have a plan and the resources in place to act quickly and get the repairs done following rainfall to restore our roads to a smooth and safe condition as soon as possible.
“In 2020 more than 78,000 potholes were filled across 10,600 locations, with hundreds of repairs completed in the suburbs including Moorooka, Pinkenba, Coorparoo, Murarrie and Coopers Plains.
“We have six teams, known as flying gangs, that travel our more than 5700 kilometres of road network, which is an equivalent distance between Brisbane and Broome, to look for and repair potholes.
In addition to these proactive patrols, it’s critical that the community help us by letting us know when these hazards open up, so we can quickly fix them.
“It’s as easy as texting the location of a pothole to 0429 2 FIX IT (0429 234 948) to ensure we can find and fill the potholes and with more wet weather on the way this resident reporting is more important than ever.
“All urgent repairs are responded to within 24 hours, with other repair requests responded to within seven business days.”
Cr Schrinner said the Schrinner Administration would invest $360 million into road resurfacing this four-year term as part of the Smoother Suburban Streets program which would help pothole proof roads.
“A freshly resurfaced road is more likely to better withstand heavy rainfall, so road resurfacing is our best bet in helping prevent potholes from forming,” he said.
“The Schrinner Administration has just delivered our 245th smoother street this financial year, with 428 roads scheduled to be resurfaced by June 2021, which is 26 per cent increase compared to 2019/20.
“We are not only resurfacing more roads, but we are also continuing to save ratepayers millions of dollars every year, by recycling more than 65,000 tonnes of asphalt and glass as part of the road resurfacing operations.”
Residents can report potholes by texting details to 0429 2 FIX IT (0429 234 948) or by calling Council’s contact centre on 3403 8888. Jobs can also be logged via Council’s website. For more information, visit brisbane.qld.gov.au
The top 10 suburbs for pothole repairs from July 2020 to date:
- Moorooka (1164)
- Pinkenba (903)
- Coorparoo (833)
- Murarrie (814)
- Coopers Plains (791)
- Rocklea (790)
- Morningside (789)
- Acacia Ridge (784)
- Geebung (772)
- Moggill (752)