Pothole patching underway in New Jersey

CAMDEN, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Spring is here and pothole patching season has begun in New Jersey.

15th Street in Camden received some much-needed attention this afternoon as crews patched multiple potholes near Federal Street.

It should be a welcome sight for commuters who are tired of driving over potholes.

"Them jawns about as deep as pools! Tires fit right in that jawn," said Nyshaun Brown of Camden, who is just learning how to drive.

... or swerving around them.

"Thank God I have not hit anyone. But it's very difficult with a teenager to learn how to drive with potholes. It can be quite challenging," said Angel Harris.

"Plenty of times where I've had to call a tow truck because my axle broke or something like that," said JaGie from Camden.

The City of Camden announced Friday it will be patching and resurfacing roads over the next six months.

Last year the city patched thousands of potholes and they're ready for more this year, along with some complete resurfacing projects.

Officials spoke Friday afternoon on a newly-paved 16th Street.

"Millions of dollars of new investment is building confidence throughout the city of Camden. We're getting the job done," said Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen.

While our area experienced a mild winter without much snow, we still saw temperature fluctuations and moisture, which is a perfect recipe for potholes.

"Cold to warm and that water gets under the pavement. It causes potholes. So it's been about the same because we had a lot of rain," said Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer. "So we still have a lot of potholes throughout Camden County."

Statewide, NJDOT says so far this year they've repaired about 48,000 potholes on state roads.

Compare that with 71,000 potholes at this point last year.

Officials say the mild winter has resulted in fewer potholes to fix.

Camden residents can report potholes in their neighborhood by contacting the Mayor's Office at (856) 757-7200 or mayor@ci.camden.nj.us or by contacting the Camden Department of Public Works at (856) 757-7132, (856) 757-7034 or publicworks@ci.camden.nj.us.

Residents can also report potholes on county roads by going to www.camdencounty.com/service/public-works/county-road-report-form/ or by calling (856) 566-2980.

On state roads drivers may call 1-800-POTHOLE or go online and fill out this form: https://www.njdotproblemreporting.com

On the NJDOT home page, scroll down and there are a series of colored tiles. Click the Blue Tile on the left to report a pothole.