Pittsburgh pothole patching on hold during coronavirus pandemic

Pittsburgh’s usual spring pothole patching blitz is on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a city official.

The Department of Public Works is operating with skeleton crews, but will respond to emergencies and fix large damage-causing potholes when notified, according to Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto. Residents can call the city’s 311 response line to report potholes.

“If there is a giant pothole causing major damage it will be filled, but (we’re) not sending crews to do small patches citywide,” McNulty said.

Pittsburgh’s last pothole patching blitz was during the weekend of March 7. Dan Gilman, Peduto’s chief of staff, said at the time that complaints had dramatically decreased over 2019, attributing the decline to a mild winter and an increased focus on city street paving in recent years.