NYC Transportation Department Attempting To Tackle Problematic Roadways With 'Pothole Blitz'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's been roughly six-weeks since the Tri-State area's last snow storm, and some New Yorkers say road conditions are still a mess.

As CBS2's Ali Bauman reports, navigating around the plethora of potholes in New York can make the concrete jungle feel like an actual jungle.

"It definitely looks like a third world country," Harlem resident Janae Brown said. "You know what I mean? You would think New York City, America, we'd have better streets but apparently not."

Manhattan's Roadway and Maintenance Director Rich Cicale drives in the city every day, and gives them a much milder review.

"The roads are a little bit rough but we're working to get roads up to scale with the pothole crews," Cicale said Saturday.

The Transportation Department fills potholes throughout the week, but on Saturday deployed 80 crews citywide in a semi-annual "pothole blitz," filling as many as possible.

Cicale said his crew would fill in roughly 50 of them before the day is through.

"We get out there, repair potholes, and increased resurfacing helps because we get rid of problem areas and restore those roadways so they're safe for everyone," Cicale said, adding the city is resurfacing about 300 more lane miles this year than two years ago -- resulting in fewer potholes.

But if we know springtime means deteriorating asphalt, why wait until April 29th to fill in the gaps? Cicale says the delay, in part, is due to the city's last snowstorm they didn't anticipate, which gave the city an increased amount of potholes.

"We continue to address them every day," he adds.

The transportation department will typically respond to 311 complaints for potholes throughout the week. On Saturday, they will head to repair many of those reported problem areas as well as any potholes they see along the way.