Q: Cathy Short of San Bernardino shared that she recently damaged her car’s front fender driving over a large pothole in that city and it cost her $162 to repair. Mat DeGraffenried said he has had three flat tires recently because of potholes on the 91 Freeway in Riverside, which he said, “have gotten extremely bad over the last year.” DeGraffenreid, who lives in Riverside County, asked how to notify the state about potholes on the 91.
A: New potholes have popped up all over the IE lately. Every driver can help by letting cities know where potholes are located. Inland cities, counties and Caltrans encourage residents to report the location of potholes online so a repair crew can be sent out. Which agency will repair a pothole depends on where it’s located.
Blame the region’s heavy rains for all the recent pavement wreckage. “Potholes, line cracks and alligator cracks are defects in the roadway caused by environmental factors such as heat and rain,” according to the Riverside Public Works Department website. “Natural forces begin the deterioration by creating small cracks. As the cracks grow deeper, chunks of the pavement material separate and are pulled out as cars pass over them or as rains lift them. If left unchecked, they can erode the dirt underneath the road way and create sinkholes.”
With the recent rains, we know there has been an increase in potholes on area roadways.
“Anecdotally, I can say that we’ve certainly seen an increase in potholes during recent rains and very much appreciate residents who take the time to inform us,” said Nathan Mustafa, Riverside deputy public works director.
During the month of February, the city of Riverside received 483 reports of potholes through its call center. As of early March, the city had repaired nearly 2,200, said Lee Withers, Riverside deputy public works director. “It’s often the case that the crew will respond to a service request for one pothole and locate a number of other potholes in the vicinity, so the repair quantity grows quickly,” she said.
To report a pothole in Riverside, drivers can use the 311 call center, report the pothole on the app, call 951-826-5311, or email callcenter@riversideca.gov. More details for potholes and road damage in Riverside is at https://riversideca.gov/publicworks/streets/streets-faq.
Mustafa said Riverside is taking additional steps to improve pavement conditions and has a comprehensive pavement management program.
“We have a goal of paving and/or resurfacing a total of 51 miles this year,” he said. Upcoming and recently completed projects can be viewed at www.riversideca.gov/pavingmap. The city is also working to retain an on-call contractor to help with pavement work following water line and lateral repairs, Mustafa said. And, he added, Riverside hired a consulting firm to develop a trench cut fee study that would help fund the city’s pavement management program and mitigate the impacts of utility trenching.
• To report a pothole in unincorporated Riverside County, go to the Riverside County Transportation Department at https://trans.rctlma.org or https://trans.rctlma.org/road-repairs, or call 951-955-6880.
• To report a pothole in unincorporated San Bernardino County, report it to the public works department at https://specialdistricts.sbcounty.gov/roads/road-repair-request/, call 909-386-8800 or email info@sdd.sbcounty.gov.
• To report potholes in the city of San Bernardino, visit https://www.sbcity.org/contact_us/sb_access_online?cid=6290 and fill out the form, or contact the city’s call center at 909-384-7272.
• For potholes in Moreno Valley, visit https://moval.gov/online-forms/pothole.shtml.
• For Temecula, visit https://temeculaca.gov/994/Streets-and-Sidewalks-Issues.
• For other cities in the Inland Empire, search the name of the city online and add keywords like, “how to report a pothole,” or call city hall’s main number and ask how to report potholes.
• Potholes on freeways can be reported to Caltrans’ online customer service request link: https://csr.dot.ca.gov/index.php/Msrsubmit.
Seeking feedback
A final way Riverside County residents can help is by offering comments on the Riverside County Transportation Commission’s draft 2024 Traffic Relief Plan, a comprehensive, countywide strategic blueprint to reduce congestion by building highway improvements, repairing potholes, increasing public transportation, and fortifying the county’s transportation infrastructure against natural disasters. This plan was last updated in 2020 after a public input period and the commission is seeking community comments again. Riverside County residents have until March 31 to add feedback online at www.trafficreliefplan.org.
Do you commute to work in the Inland Empire? Spend a lot of time in your vehicle? Have questions about driving, freeways, toll roads or parking? If so, write or call On the Road and we’ll try to answer your questions. Please include your question or issue, name, city of residence, phone number and email address. Write ontheroad@scng.com or call us at our new phone number, 951-368-9995.
