In the past 12 months, the Department of Transportation filled a record high 400K potholes. But Upper West Side Councilwoman Gale Brewer didn't exactly feel the love: a study commissioned by her office revealed that while 77 percent of the potholes reported to 311 were filled, the calls only represented 50 percent of the total number of potholes in her district, which runs from West 54th to 96th street. A few potholes were even repaired and then deteriorated to their original condition. "It needs to be more carefully monitored, because obviously that's a waste of money," Brewer tells DNAinfo. Better get back to work, Warmy! more ›

In a truly inspiring example of personal transcendence, the Department of Transportation has shattered its previous record for potholes filled in a single fiscal year. Since July 1st, 2010, workers have filled 400,000 potholes (they had to count them all), besting the previous record of 395,000. The city budgeted $190.4 million for paving and pothole repair operations this year, then threw in another $2 million after the epic winter storms (plus another $40 million that kicks in in July). As you know, the DOT has been charting the pothole filling process with a series of whimsical posts on The Daily Pothole Tumblr, which is written by (we're not making this up) a circular chunk of asphalt with a smiley-face drawn on it, going by the name "Warmy." more ›

When we need a scapegoat for all of the city's ills, we pour our collective rage into the one thing we know isn't going anywhere soon: potholes! The Daily News reports that despite the DOT filling 24% more potholes this year than last, they're doing so 35% slower: taking 5.8 days to fix a pothole instead of 4.3, which was the rate this time last year. more ›

New York: "Pothole City." Last month, 311 got 1,781 calls about potholes, but City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said it's no problem because her team is out filling 2,000 potholes a day. Don't believe her? Check Tumblr. The Department recently announced their Daily Pothole Tumblr, which tracks the day's pothole repairs and lets users report potholes online. Just one more step towards our never having to speak on the phone again! more ›

Yet more Brooklyn Bridge-related road closures for those trying to head to Manhattan between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. The Department of Transportation has been doing emergency roadwork because the span has been hit hard during our numerous storms. According to WABC 7, "The work includes milling existing pavement, pothole repair, new asphalt riding surfaces and new pavement markings. This effort supplements the overall rehabilitation of the Brooklyn Bridge ramps and approaches." Yet another reason for taxi drivers to hate going to Brooklyn! more ›

Potholes are a scourge whose depths of evil know no end: already, the DOT has had to fill more than 45,000 potholes, cave ins and the like since the first storm hit in December. There are tons of people writing about their struggles with them on NY1 and CNN, and we had our own brush with these doomholes when we were trapped on i278/BQE for over two hours last week due to "pothole maintenance." But now, there is one Staten Island man leading the charge against these portals of dilapidated pavement. more ›

This winter hasn't been kind to New York. Cars were broken as owners attempted to rescue them from an icy death. Train cars have been sent out of commission. And now the city's roads are becoming undriveable. The DOT has had to fill more than 45,000 potholes, cave ins and the like (know your street defects!) since the first storm hit in December. One tow truck driver told the Times, “New York is Pothole City right now. Everyone is driving through an obstacle course. These streets will take your car away in a heartbeat." more ›

Long the most ignored borough, Staten Island is feeling particularly overlooked as their streets continue to be filled with potholes (much to the chagrin of Pothole Phil). Now, City Councilman James Oddo wants the Department of Transportation to explain their negligence. The Staten Island Advance reports that Mr. Oddo has invited the DOT to a "Road Conditions Summit," hoping they will discuss plans to fix up damaging and dangerous potholes in the city's most car-dependent borough. "We want to know what the next 100 streets are, what the plan is to get us to consistently driveable [sic] streets." more ›

Staten Island might be the borough that demands the greatest need for its residents to have a vehicle, but that doesn't mean that drivers there by any means enjoy smooth sailing. Shaolin natives have been sending in reports to the SI Advance saying the roads feel like obstacle courses, have led to blown tires and even cause them to come up with creative directions in order to avoid the many problematic spots. The most horrific account comes from Rich Blazewicz of Great Kills who tells the paper how his ten-year-old daughter Gina "was hospitalized for two days with a concussion last month after she tripped in a pothole on Linton Place while playing basketball. She fell backward and hit her head...and was spitting up blood after the fall." Residents complain that when the DOT does show up, they only provide band-aid fixes that wash away after four or five storms. A rep for the DOT defends their current job performance saying, "Most roads have a 20-year cycle, with the evidence of a lack of investment in their upkeep showing up years—even decades—later." more ›

A court ruling has decreased the city's liability in thousands of sidewalk-injury cases where people have sued the city after stumbles in areas with defects that had already been brought to the city's attention. The ruling says that maps made by a company hired by trial lawyers to denote every bump and bruise that pedestrians have come across will not carry weight in the suits because the maps are inaccurate and unclear. With 5,000 maps a year, each depicting several city blocks marked with hundreds of symbols, the city said they ended up with "700,00 squiggles." This decision further lets the city off the hook after a 2003 ruling moved the burden of injuries over to property owners, a move that has saved the city $13 million a year in lawsuits. Fred Kent, the president of the Project for Public Spaces, said, "Is the pothole guilty for trapping you and making you fall? Or are you guilty for not paying attention?” And lauding the court's decision was the first mayor to suffer an increase in payouts due to the maps, Ed Koch. He told the Times, “Hallelujah for the current decision. The money that’s paid out by such claims, which in my judgment are not worthy in many cases, is what deprives the city of spending money on matters that really are needed for the entire city.” more ›

Mike Bloomberg may end his tenure as the Mayor of Pothole Repair. Under Bloomberg's watch, the city has filled 1.25 potholes since 2002. While anybody that hits potholes with their bike or their car surely thinks the city missed a few, Mayor Bloomberg assures us that they are doing what it can to fix them. In his first public appearance since returning from Asia, Bloomberg said, "Now, potholes are as much a part of city life as hot dog carts and yellow cabs, although that hasn't stopped us from doing everything we can to fix them once they appear." more ›

Former New York City Mayor and Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is finding that his campaign for highest office is foundering in Florida--the state that his campaign has identified as a crucial crucible. The primary vote in the Sunshine State will occur on Jan. 29, and with approximately six weeks to go, Rudy's trailing competitors Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. According to a survey conducted by pollster Scott Rasmussen, Romney is tallying 27% support, followed by Huckabee with 23%, and then Giuliani with 19%. Giuliani's organization dismissed the results of the Rasmussen poll as unreliable. more ›