Potholes On Your Street? How To Report Them In Berkeley

BERKELEY, CA — The relentless stream of atmospheric rivers ravaged roads in Berkeley, Alameda County, the entire East Bay and led to several thousands of potholes on freeways, highways and surface streets across the Bay Area. If it seemed worse than usual — it was.

According to Caltrans, the unrelenting nature of the winter storms and early spring provided precisely the conditions that are ripe for potholes to form.

"When it rains or snows, you get water that seeps through cracks in the pavement, then the base layer in the soil underneath the road becomes saturated," said Allison Colburn, a public information officer for Caltrans. "This eventually leaves a void underneath the road. So when vehicles drive over the cracked pavement, repeatedly...the surface then breaks and collapses into the void."

In District 4, which covers the nine Bay Area counties, Caltrans filled nearly 13,000 potholes throughout the region from Jan. 1 to March 20.

The chart below shows the number of potholes filled by Caltrans in each Bay Area county during the recent winter storms. In Alameda County, there were 1,856 potholes filled.

(Caltrans District 4)

Caltrans actively monitors roads across the region during storm events, and crews respond as possible to the hundreds of reports filed by drivers.

"They're basically prioritized by the availability of resources, but also the priority of how bad the damage is," Colburn said. "A small pothole that's maybe not causing any damage or issues, that's going to be prioritized behind a large pothole in the middle of a lane."

Report a pothole for Caltrans, City of Berkeley

The City of Berkeley recommends that you report a pothole through its Report A Pothole webpage. If you do not have access to the app, call the City Services Division at (510) 981-2489.

For drivers who spot a pothole on a state or federal highway, Caltrans said using its online customer service request portal is the best bet.

"That goes through our system, and we have people who look through that and assign maintenance crews to it based on location," Colburn said. "That's the quickest way to get it looked at."

Drivers who believe their vehicle was damaged by a pothole on a state road, and that Caltrans was responsible, can seek compensation from the agency, but Colburn cautions that getting a claim approved is not a sure thing.

"I want to clarify that under California law, Caltrans does not insure vehicles for damage on our highways," Colburn said. "There is a driver responsibility component here. Drivers in California must exercise caution on all roads and have car insurance to cover liability and property damage. In limited circumstances, Caltrans may be statutorily responsible for damage to a vehicle."

For damage valued up to $10,000, drivers can submit a claim online. Anything higher is handled separately by California's Government Claims Program.