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The New Jersey Department of Transportation has announced the start of its annual statewide campaign to repair potholes across New Jersey. This year, due to an active winter and fluctuating temperatures, the Department expects to mend more potholes than in the previous season.
Potholes are formed when water seeps into cracks in the asphalt and expands upon freezing. This weather pattern has significantly impacted state highways this season. "Our priority over the next couple of months will be repairing the most significant potholes from this winter," stated Acting Commissioner Fran O’Connor. He emphasized that while NJDOT crews work year-round to maintain highways, repairing potholes becomes a primary focus during this time.
To expedite the process, the Department will permit crews to close travel lanes when necessary during daytime hours. When possible, work hours will be limited to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to minimize disruption to peak traffic times.
NJDOT will utilize digital signs to inform motorists about the campaign and potential lane closures that could cause temporary travel delays. Detailed repair locations will be continually updated on www.511nj.org.
As asphalt plants reopen with warmer weather, crews will initiate permanent patch operations on particularly troublesome sections of roadway. This extensive work, involving milling and paving small areas, will typically be done overnight.
In the past five fiscal years, NJDOT has repaired an average of approximately 162,000 potholes annually. This number has progressively decreased due to NJDOT’s emphasis on repaving State Highways. A testament to their efforts, the percentage of roads in good and fair condition has risen from 47 percent in 2007 to 81 percent last year. So far in FY24, NJDOT has repaired about 93,500 potholes, with the busiest repair season just commencing.