What residents can do about potholes on their roads

Two things go bump in the night: the monster under the bed and the cars on Big Lake and Knik Goose Bay roads. At least, that’s the stereotype. In fact, many roads all over the Mat-Su have potholes that appear and re-appear with each rainstorm.

For every roads department, repairing potholes is important to ensuring safe and smooth travel for motorists. It isn’t just residents that use the roads, but all commuter traffic on which commerce relies. When you encounter a pothole, report it promptly to the appropriate authorities to have it fixed. Many people don’t report them because they don’t know who to call or how to report. So here are a few options.

Before you make the call, you need to identify the responsible authority for the specific highway where you've encountered the pothole. Highways are often maintained by the State of Alaska, but there are some that the Mat-Su Borough takes care of. Other roads are split unevenly amongst the State of Alaska’s Department of Transportation & Public Facilities, Mat-Su Borough, and the cities of Houston Wasilla, and Palmer. There are many unmaintained roads as well.

Once you've identified the responsible authority and collected the necessary information, you can contact them to report the pothole. Here are the common ways to reach out: phone, website app, or phone app.

State of Alaska: Call 907-745-2159 for the Palmer office that services all state roads in the entire Mat-Su.

City of Houston: Call 907-892-6869, ask for Roads Department

City of Wasilla: Call 907- 373-9010, ask for Public Works

City of Palmer: Call 907- 745-3400, ask for Public Works

Mat-Su Borough: Call 907-861-7755. This takes you to the Borough’s Roads Hotline and this covers all Borough road service areas.

Please note that the Mat-Su Borough uses contractors for roads services. If you are in a Borough road service area, do not call these contractors directly to report even if you know someone in the company personally. This is a violation of their contracts and risks creating a violation that can be held against them later during contract renewal time. Please respect the process and contact the agency having jurisdiction.

The Mat-Su Borough also offers an online Problem Reporter, accessible at https://problem-reporter-msb.hub.arcgis.com/pages/road-maintenance

When you call provide the road name, direction of travel (northbound, southbound, etc.) that the pothole is in, the nearest mile marker or exit, a description of the pothole's size and depth, and any notable landmarks nearby that might make it easier to find it is hole isn’t very large yet. The more details you can provide, the easier it will be for the authorities to locate and assess the pothole.

While waiting for the pothole to be repaired, exercise caution when driving in that area. Potholes can pose a danger to vehicles, so reduce your speed and be attentive to other motorists. They won’t go away until they are repaired, so drive defensively and if a week has passed without a repair repeat the process. If you notice other motorists encountering the same pothole, encourage them to report it as well. The more reports the authorities receive, the higher the priority the repair may receive from authorities.

Pothole repair is often part of routine highway maintenance. Advocate for regular inspections and maintenance of the roads and streets in your area to prevent potholes from forming in the first place. Encourage officials to properly prioritize the road so that it doesn’t fall behind and the maintenance is always playing catch-up. The more we spend in preventative maintenance, the less we spend in repairs of catastrophic failures.

Highway authorities prioritize repairs based on many factors including the severity of the pothole, traffic count on that road, and available resources. While reporting the issue is essential, it's equally important to be patient and understanding of the time it may take for the repair to be completed. Remember they people you meet doing the repairs aren’t the ones that established the priority or method, so treat them with respect and do not take out any frustrations or anger on them.

There are exceptions. Many roads are not serviced by anybody because they were not accepted into a Road Service Area or a municipal road program. Reasons vary from a contractor not building it to specifications, not meeting minimum standards, or a legal abandonment of a right of way by the jurisdiction. In these circumstances, it is up to the residents on the roads to maintain it themselves without aid from the local government. Just because a road is in a city does not mean that it is maintained by that City or the Borough.

Reporting and fixing potholes is a collaborative effort between residents and the appropriate responsible authority. Our commute and commerce depend on strong and intact roads. Never give up and keep making those calls and emails.

Christian M. Hartley is a 40-year Alaskan resident with over 25 years of public safety experience and public service. He runs a freelance business, Big Lake Writer, from home in Big Lake that he shares with his wife of 19 years and their three teenage sons.