City Begins Seasonal Pothole Repair Blitz As Weather Warms

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- As temperatures continue to climb, workers from the city's Department of Transportation are taking to the streets to kickstart the season's pothole repair program.

The sights and sounds are a welcomed relief to weary drivers like Hector from Bay Ridge.

"I'm very happy about it," he tells 1010 WINS' Samantha Liebman. "Sometimes the cars get damaged."

The five step process to fill a pothole only takes a few minutes, according to the DOT Director of Brooklyn Street Maintenance Joe Carbone. That allows for a lot of ground to be filled in a day.

"This crew will do approximately 50 holes today," Carbone said, flanked by workers near a pothole on Senator Street in Bay Ridge.

The crew was a delight to see for many Saturday, including one man named Steve.

"This is a good thing," he said. "Just because I have a new car, so I wouldn't want it to get any damage on it."

Carbone says the success of their operation depends on receiving the public's complaints.

"You call 311 and you will get the pothole complaint within a few days right now," he said Saturday.

1010 WINS reports that the DOT has filled more that 80,000 potholes since mid-December and thousands more will be filled this weekend.