Crews To Work 7 Days a Week To Fill Chicago Potholes

Work to continue well into the spring, mayor says

If you noticed more potholes than usual in Chicago, it's not your imagination.

This week's record-cold temperatures exasperated the problem, leaving gauges in roads across the city.

It didn't go unnoticed to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who said Friday he ordered pothole crews to work seven days a week until April to fill the holes.

Emanuel said crews already have filled more than 2,000 since the recent extreme cold set in.

It's an ever-existing problem for Streets and Sanitation workers. Last March, the department reported crews had filled more than 100,000 potholes in 2013, marking a 56 percent increase over the same time period in 2012, when crews had filled 64,000.

The city also proved last year it knows how to handle the problem stylishly.

In the spring, the Chicago Department of Transportation penned this press release to announce "Potholepalooza."

"Tired of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ in Traffic over the Minor Threat of potholes in the Pavement?" the statement read. "Ready to see nothing but White Stripes on the roadway and not worry about The Cars swerving to avoid potholes?

"If you are motorist or a Motörhead, participate in the first-ever “Potholepalooza,” the Chicago Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) call to Chicagoans to report as many street potholes as possible."

We can't promise something so inspired this time around, but as always, you can call 311 or go online to report a pothole.

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