CINCINNATI — The freezing weather in the winter and heavy rain in the spring have caused spikes in potholes across the state. While cities are working to repair them, it’s not an easy or inexpensive feat.
Billy Johnson has been a resident in Cincinnati’s East Price Hill neighborhood for a little over two years now. While he enjoys the area, he said potholes have been a huge issue.
“It’s pretty rough going as far as the quality of the roads,” said Johnson. “I mean it’s more in some places than others.”
Johnson has experienced the issue firsthand.
“There’s been times when I hit a pothole so deep that I thought my tire would come off,” he said.
He’s not alone. The Cincinnati Department of Public Services has received 1,500 service requests for potholes so far this year. DPS is encouraging residents to use the 311 Cincy app or website to report any they see. But Johnson said he’s never even heard of it.
“I definitely think it should be advertised more and put out there so more people know about it,” he said.
On Monday, city leaders came together to address the issue. While DPS says it has repaired 5,000 potholes so far this year, many projects have been put on hold because of a $300-million budget deficit. Selling the Cincinnati Southern Railway is one solution that Mayor Aftab Pureval has in mind.
“Our budgeted amount that we get from the railroad from $25-million to conservatively $50-$70 million, which will help us achieve our goal for the road miles and to continue to prioritize infrastructure,” said Pureval.
City leaders spent time Monday helping repave the roads in East Price Hill, a neighborhood they said has a huge issue with potholes. That’s why the mayor hopes to fix those and even more across the city once the funding is available.
“Our message to East Price Hill or frankly any community in our city is you’re valued, you’re prioritized, and we’re doing everything we can to marshal our resources as effectively as possible,” he said.
Johnson said he’s happy to see the work being done and hopes to see more improvements in his neighborhood.
“There’s other issues that obviously need to be addressed, but as far as the roads go I’m glad to see they’re addressing the issues and doing something about it,” he said.
