Addressing the Problem of Potholes

Winter has afforded us a slight break from snow and plowing. Unfortunately, potholes are taking advantage of that.

Potholes are created when water from rain and melting snow gets into cracks in the roadway on warm days and freezes when the temperature drops. The water expands when it freezes, and pressure from roadway traffic causes the pavement to break and form a “pothole.” This winter, as in the past few years, we have seen fluctuating temperatures, and the constant cycling between warm and cold weather has made the issue worse. As spring approaches, we can expect more warm days and cold nights—a perfect recipe for more potholes to form. Snowstorms just make it worse, as our salting and plowing operations may reopen potholes we have already filled.

The DPW Operations Highway Division is prepared to address this issue daily as weather allows. Work orders submitted are reviewed and completed daily. Our DPW Engineering Division evaluates streets daily and assists in prioritizing pothole issues and other forms of road repairs. Please understand that priority is given first to main roads (i.e. Main, Upham, Washington); then to neighborhood collector roads (i.e. Damon, Vinton, Foster); and then to local neighborhood streets. Work orders submitted are also prioritized in this order. As long as weather allows, we make all efforts possible to address them within 7-10 work days.

You can submit pothole repair requests using one of the following:

• E-mail the Department at potholes@cityofmelrose.org
• Enter a request on the DPW Work Order Request System located on the City of Melrose website
• Use our mobile app, SeeClickFix
• Call our Operations Facility at 781-665-0142. The office is open from Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Thank you for your patience with our attempts to tame this challenge.