Long Beach Patches Over 35,000 Potholes In 2024

LONG BEACH, CA — Over 35,000 potholes have been patched up in Long Beach over the course of just five months, the Public Works Department announced.

After the unprecedented rainfall during the winter storm season, a backlog of potholes built up, the city said. As part of the city's Spring Cleaning Initiative launch last May, Public Works committed to addressing 63,000 potholes in Long Beach by filling about 5,000 potholes each month.

“Our Public Works crews have been hard at work to address the over 60,000 potholes in Long Beach, creating safer streets for residents citywide,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “In just five months we have filled over 35,000 potholes, complementing our slurry maintenance and full repaving programs, and we are not slowing down."

Typically, according to Public Works, crews working year-round typically fill 40,000 potholes a year on average. In early August, crews completed 25,000 pothole repairs, and by the end of the month completed over 30,000.

To date, the highest number of potholes filled in a single month was 6,954 in July. Going forward, crews will begin utilizing specially designed trucks that will increase pothole repair capacity over the coming years.

“Filling over 35,000 potholes caused by record-breaking rainfall this past winter in just five months is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the dedication and hard work of our Public Works team,” said Director of Public Works Eric Lopez. “We remain committed to improving our roadway infrastructure and enhancing the safety and livability of our community.”

Potholes occur when water penetrates the surface of the road and affects the underlying base material and compromises the integrity of the roadway structure. So far this year, Long Beach experienced nearly 24 inches of rainfall, surpassing the annual average by 12.4 inches.

There are currently five permanent crews comprised of 18 full-time Public Works staff members and three part-time members from the Conservation Corps of Long Beach. Requests to fill potholes are submitted via the City's Go Long Beach service request portal.