Milwaukee pothole problem frustrates drivers, city leaders

MILWAUKEE - From flowers to baseball, a lot of things pop up in Milwaukee during the spring. That includes damaging and frustrating potholes. 

It is an unsettling feeling for drivers. 

"Everywhere, all the time," said Nathaniel Washington.

"It’s a little scary," said Joe Karnes. "They’re inconvenient, mess up a lot of people’s tires."

Potholes – and a lot of them. The pothole problem played out at City Hall on Wednesday, April 26. Milwaukee Common Council members questioned the Department of Public Works (DPW) about the issue. 

"I don’t want to hear excuses anymore. I just want to hear the plan," said Milwaukee Alderman Bob Bauman. 

"We recognize this is a rough time of year, but it is also a rough year for potholes," said Kevin Muhs, City Engineer with the Milwaukee DPW.

DPW engineers say staffing shortages, deferred maintenance on streets, and weather are behind the problems. 

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"This year, in particular, the weather was particularly not nice to us. We usually do overtime on Saturdays. There was a snow event that was actively happening in February or March," Muhs said. 

DPW data shows pothole service requests skyrocketed in March and April. There were nearly 3,500 requests this March – compared to less than 1,500 in March 2022. 

Muhs said crews are catching up and tackling the problems. 

"What we want people to know is we are committed to doing it. It will take us longer to address it," Muhs said. 

"You’re doing the best you can, there’s insurmountable problems, and you're going to continue doing the best you can… things aren’t going to change much," Bauman said.

But drivers hope change comes soon. 

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"I went on a trip to Mexico. I thought the roads were better there than they are here. It’s like dirt roads there," Washington said. 

The DPW did not share when all the potholes will be filled. They want people to report the problem through the city's action app. The request could take a couple of days to be solved.