Delaware plugs 12,500 potholes in 18 days

Since March 8, DelDOT workers have patched 12,567 potholes, an average of more than 700 per day. And they’re not done yet.

This year’s frigid winter weather wreaked havoc with Delaware’s roads, opening up thousands of potholes and leaving treacherous spots on highways throughout the state. DelDOT has nearly 90 workers filling potholes in all three counties every day. 

“Because ice formation on road surfaces is a primary cause of potholes, Delaware has experienced a bumper crop in the past month,” said DelDOT Secretary Jennifer Cohan. “DelDOT’s crews have been working hard to remedy the situation and believe the state’s roads will be largely pothole free by the middle of next month.”

As of last week, DelDOT was still getting an average of 150 to 210 complaint calls a day for potholes that needed to be repaired, most of those in northern Delaware.

Overall, Delaware spent less on winter storm cleanup this year compared to last year. This year’s total expenses for responding to snow and ice was $11.5 million. Last winter, the state spent $18.1 million.

The majority of this year’s spending was on salt ($5.2 million) and overtime costs ($2.3 million). More than 500 DelDOT workers put in more than 62,000 overtime hours responding to storms on a total of 76 days.