<p>In Los Cabos, at the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, the most important road repairs are happening while most people sleep.</p>
<p>After recent rains damaged streets across the municipality, the Los Cabos city government restarted an intensive pothole repair program in early October, beginning in Cabo San Lucas. Mayor Christian Agúndez Gómez inspected the work on Constituyentes Boulevard on October 7 and told crews to prioritize the most damaged roads and the reports coming in from residents.</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/los-cabos-moves-pothole-repairs-to-the-night-shift-f1acd052359c.jpg" alt="Workers fill a waterlogged pothole with bagged patch before dawn." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<p>"We are going to carry out mass pothole repairs across the whole municipality to restore traffic flow where it's needed most," he said, according to HOY BCS.</p>
<h2>Why the work happens at night</h2>
<p>Crews started on La Sanluqueña road and Constituyentes Boulevard, along with streets including Roca, Puerto Escondido, Nicolás Tamaral, Palma Abanico and Miguel Hidalgo. The Public Works department, led by Christopher Enríquez González, said the teams work overnight to limit disruption for drivers and public transit during peak hours.</p>
<p>By October 14 the program had reached the San José del Cabo–Cabo San Lucas tourist corridor, BCS Noticias reported. The corridor is the main artery between the municipality's two cities, used every day by workers, staff shuttles, taxis and visitors heading to the hotel zone. Closing lanes at rush hour would mean long backups, so crews work after midnight and before dawn, section by section, starting with the worst stretches.</p>
<p>The city has also hired additional crews to widen coverage and added a patching machine that preheats the asphalt, sprays a prime coat and places the new surface, which officials say will make repairs faster and longer-lasting.</p>
<h2>Short windows, high stakes</h2>
<p>Night work is a smart answer to a common problem. On a road that carries a city's commuters and its tourism economy, the cost of a pothole repair isn't just the asphalt. It's the lane closure, the traffic management and the delay for everyone stuck behind it.</p>
<p>Night shifts shrink that cost, but they also shrink the working window. Crews have a few hours to get in, fix as many defects as they can and reopen the road before the morning rush. Any repair that needs extra time before traffic can return, or that fails and has to be redone, eats into a window that's already tight.</p>
<p>Rain adds another layer. BCS Noticias noted that the rainy season and storms such as Simon often open new potholes and widen existing ones. That means crews are often dealing with damp holes, sometimes with water still sitting in them.</p>
<h2>Matching the material to the job</h2>
<p>Big rehabilitation jobs, like the tendered rebuild of La Sanluqueña the mayor mentioned, need paving crews and heavy equipment. But around those jobs there are always scattered potholes on side streets and neighbourhood roads that need a fast, reliable fix.</p>
<p>That's where EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt fits. It's ready to use, with no mixing and no tack coat. It works even in wet holes, bonds to asphalt and concrete, and is ready for traffic as soon as it's placed and compacted. For a night crew racing the sunrise, that means less setup and a lane that can reopen as soon as the last repair is compacted. Because Ambient® can be stockpiled for months, a city can keep material on hand for the next storm instead of waiting on a delivery.</p>
<h2>Lessons for tourism towns and busy corridors</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Work when traffic is lightest.</strong> Night and early-morning shifts protect the people and businesses who rely on the road.</li>
<li><strong>Start with the worst stretches.</strong> Prioritizing by damage and resident reports puts crews where they matter most.</li>
<li><strong>Use the right tool for each defect.</strong> Heavy equipment for big sections, ready-to-use material for scattered potholes.</li>
<li><strong>Plan for the next storm.</strong> Keeping material stockpiled means repairs can start as soon as the rain stops.</li>
</ul>
<p>Drivers in Los Cabos can help too. The city asks residents to report dangerous potholes on (624) 146 7600, with the street, neighbourhood and a nearby landmark. Pairing quick reports with thermally resilient, enduring repairs is how a city keeps its main roads open, day and night. Learn more at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>Source notes: HOY BCS (Oct 7, 2026); BCS Noticias (Oct 8, 2026); BCS Noticias (Oct 15, 2026).</em></p>


Los Cabos restarted its pothole repair program at night to limit traffic disruption on the busy tourist corridor after heavy rains.

Los Cabos Shifts Pothole Repairs to Night

Los Cabos Moves Pothole Repairs to the Night Shift After the Rains

<p>The number of potholes reported in a city tells you something. The number still waiting to be fixed tells you more.</p>
<p>In San Francisco, residents filed 3,205 pothole and street repair complaints with 311 this year through October, up 58.9% from 2,017 over the same period of 2025, according to an analysis of city 311 data published October 14 by Transparent.city. But the figure that stands out is the backlog. There were 530 complaints still open, compared with 74 at the same point last year, an increase of 616%.</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/san-francisco-s-open-pothole-complaints-jump-seven-4edd9cb122bf.jpg" alt="Riders slow near a rain-filled hole while distant workers stand by broken pavement." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<p>And the wait is getting longer. The average time to close a pothole request in October was 43 days, up from 18 days in September and 18 days in October 2025.</p>
<h2>A level that moved and stayed</h2>
<p>The analysis found the jump wasn't gradual. Complaints ran at roughly 42 a week through most of 2024 and 2025, then shifted to about 87 a week starting in January 2026 and stayed there. The week of January 5, 2026, logged the highest single-week count in the two-year series.</p>
<p>The complaints are spread across the city. Through October 12, the Central police district logged the most at 475, followed by Northern at 448 and Taraval at 435.</p>
<p>There's important context. Transparent.city noted that 2025 was unusually quiet, the lowest sustained period in a decade of data, and that 2026 volume is still well below 2016 to 2019, when monthly totals regularly ran from 500 to 1,200. Part of this year's rise is a return toward more normal levels, and 83% of this year's complaints have been closed. The concern is that the queue is growing faster than crews are clearing it, heading into the wet season.</p>
<h2>San Francisco isn't alone</h2>
<p>Detroit is seeing a similar pattern. Pothole requests through the city's Improve Detroit system rose 60% in the first nine months of 2026, from 1,880 to 3,013, Transparent.city reported October 9. Most of that came early, with 1,401 requests from January through April against 780 a year earlier. Citing ClickOnDetroit, the analysis noted that the Michigan Department of Transportation used more than 111,000 tons of salt across Metro Detroit last winter, about 35% above average, and said heavy salting and repeated freeze-thaw cycles added to pavement damage.</p>
<p>As both analyses point out, a 311 count measures reports, not pavement, and it depends on how many people use the system. For drivers, though, the trend is easy to read.</p>
<h2>What a longer wait means behind the wheel</h2>
<p>On a busy street, a pothole that stays open for 43 days can be hit thousands of times, and every hit makes it bigger. Tyres, wheels and suspension take the punishment. People on bikes and scooters face a greater risk, especially at night or in the rain, when a water-filled hole can look like a harmless puddle.</p>
<p>A few habits help:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Report it, precisely.</strong> Note the street, the nearest cross street and the lane. Clear reports are easier to schedule.</li>
<li><strong>Document damage.</strong> If you hit a pothole and something breaks, photograph the hole and the damage and keep your repair receipts.</li>
<li><strong>Leave space.</strong> More following distance gives you time to see a defect and slow down without swerving into another lane.</li>
<li><strong>Treat puddles with suspicion.</strong> Standing water can hide a deep hole.</li>
</ul>
<h2>What cities can do about the queue</h2>
<p>Backlogs build when new holes arrive faster than crews can close them, and when old repairs fail and land back in the queue. Cutting repeat work is one of the quickest ways to free up crews.</p>
<p>That's where material matters. EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is engineered to bond to asphalt and concrete, work even in wet holes and carry traffic as soon as it's compacted. It needs no mixing or tack coat, so a small crew can close more requests per shift, and it can be stockpiled for months, so trucks stay loaded through the busy season. Thermally resilient and performance-proven, Ambient® is built for repairs that endure, so a closed ticket stays closed.</p>
<p>Transparent.city says the number to watch is whether San Francisco's open backlog keeps growing through the winter. Every repair that holds the first time helps keep that number down. Learn more at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>Source notes: Transparent.city (Oct 14, 2026); Transparent.city, citing ClickOnDetroit (Oct 9, 2026).</em></p>


San Francisco pothole complaints rose 59 percent this year with 530 still open and average repair time of 43 days. The backlog raises safety risks before winter.

San Francisco Pothole Complaints Jump Sevenfold

San Francisco's Open Pothole Complaints Jump Sevenfold as Drivers Wait Longer for Repairs

<p>Most cities fix potholes to protect drivers. In Delhi, road repair is also part of the plan to clean up the air.</p>
<p>The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) repaired 8,343 potholes covering 17,132 square metres between April and September this year, The Tribune reported on October 15. Over the same period it completed resurfacing and strengthening work on 745 km of roads. The civic body counts both among its efforts to curb dust pollution, alongside road sweeping, silt removal and enforcement against construction dust.</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/in-delhi-fixing-potholes-is-part-of-the-fight-for--18cd8be13d4b.jpg" alt="Workers compact fresh mix into a wet pothole beside unmarked sacks and silt." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Roads and dust</h2>
<p>The link is easy to see. A broken road surface sheds loose material. Traffic grinds it down and kicks it into the air, and the problem builds wherever pavement is crumbling at the edges or has been patched again and again. For a capital that faces air-quality pressure every winter, a smooth, intact road is one less source of dust.</p>
<p>The MCD has set a target of resurfacing and strengthening 1,202 km of roads in 2026. Tenders have been invited for the whole length, but budget has been allocated for 962 km. The remaining 240 km will be taken up once the Delhi Government releases the funds, the corporation said.</p>
<h2>A science-led approach to repair</h2>
<p>The MCD has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) for scientific, technology-based pothole repairs, and has procured 12,500 bags of a specialized repair material, each weighing 30 kg. That's 375 tonnes of material set aside for patching.</p>
<p>The cleaning side of the program is just as large. Since a deep-cleaning campaign began on May 18, around 2,900 metric tonnes of silt have been removed from 1,200 km of roads. The MCD has 66 mechanical road sweepers working Public Works Department roads wider than 60 feet, covering around 4,000 km on alternate days and collecting about 180 tonnes of dust a day. A work order for 70 more machines, 15 CNG-powered and 55 electric, was issued on August 4, with phased deployment expected by October, and tenders have gone out to hire 40 more for four months.</p>
<h2>What this means for repair quality</h2>
<p>Delhi's approach puts a spotlight on something often overlooked: a pothole repair is only as good as how long it stays intact. A patch that ravels, breaks up at the edges or pops out leaves loose aggregate on the road and a fresh hole to fill. In a dust-control program, that's a double loss. The money is spent twice, and the road keeps adding to the problem it was supposed to help solve.</p>
<p>Good repairs start with a material that grips the surrounding pavement and stays put. EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is engineered to bond to asphalt, concrete and itself, so the edges stay tight. It works even in wet holes, which matters in a city coming out of the monsoon, and it's ready for traffic as soon as it's placed and compacted. There's no mixing and no tack coat, and it can be stockpiled for months, so crews can keep supply on hand for fast response.</p>
<h2>Lessons for other growing cities</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Count road repair as an environmental measure.</strong> Smooth, intact pavement means less loose material on the road.</li>
<li><strong>Pair patching with cleaning.</strong> Sweeping and silt removal work best on roads that aren't constantly shedding new debris.</li>
<li><strong>Bring in the science.</strong> Partnerships with road research institutes help cities choose methods that last.</li>
<li><strong>Fund the full plan.</strong> Delhi's 240 km gap shows how quickly targets depend on the budget catching up.</li>
</ul>
<p>Delhi is treating potholes as a public health issue as well as a transport one. That's a useful way for any city to think about road repair. Enduring, performance-proven fixes like Ambient® help make sure each repair keeps doing its job, for drivers and for the air everyone breathes. Learn more at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>Source notes: The Tribune (Oct 15, 2026).</em></p>


Delhi repaired 8,343 potholes and resurfaced 745 km of roads since April as part of its dust-pollution control plan.

Delhi Fixes 8,343 Potholes in Dust Fight

In Delhi, Fixing Potholes Is Part of the Fight for Cleaner Air

<p>New York's state highway crews have passed a milestone few agencies ever reach. On October 22, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) has filled more than one million potholes on state roads so far this year, using more than 39,500 tons of asphalt. The governor marked the occasion by joining a crew near the Meadowbrook Parkway in Hempstead, on Long Island, to fill the millionth hole herself.</p>
<p>"Last winter took a heavy toll on our roads," Hochul said, crediting highway crews who "stepped up to the challenge."</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/new-york-state-fills-its-one-millionth-pothole-of--d8257dce1675.jpg" alt="A worker prepares to fill a water-filled pothole after a thaw." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>A statewide effort, region by region</h2>
<p>Every part of the state contributed. According to the governor's office, the North Country led with 178,000 potholes filled, followed by Long Island at 156,000, the Hudson Valley at 150,000 and the Southern Tier at 121,000. The push started in earnest in April, when crews filled more than 250,000 potholes in a single month.</p>
<p>Patching ran alongside the most ambitious resurfacing season in NYSDOT's history. The state invested more than $600 million in over 180 extra paving projects, covering almost 2,150 lane miles, for a total of more than 4,000 lane miles of renewed pavement, including stretches of the Adirondack Northway and Interstate 81.</p>
<h2>Why the count keeps climbing</h2>
<p>The state's own explanation of potholes is a good reminder of why the number gets so big. Water gets into the pavement through cracks. When it freezes, it expands and lifts the surface. When it thaws, the surface drops back, leaving the material weaker. Each freeze-thaw cycle repeats the damage, and heavy traffic finishes the job.</p>
<p>In a state with long winters and countless swings around the freezing mark, that cycle never really stops. Which means the real question for winter isn't only how many holes crews can fill, but how many of those repairs are still in place when the thaw comes.</p>
<h2>Where the material makes the difference</h2>
<p>A million repairs is a huge amount of labor. Every patch that fails and has to be redone takes a crew back to the same spot, often next to high-speed traffic.</p>
<p>EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is engineered for exactly the conditions New York's crews describe. It goes into wet holes and holes holding water, bonds to both asphalt and concrete, and is ready for traffic as soon as it's placed and compacted, with no mixing and no tack coat. It's thermally resilient, built to hold together through the temperature swings that pop lesser repairs loose, and it can be stockpiled for months, so yards can be stocked before the first storm.</p>
<h2>Getting ready for the next winter</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Stock up early.</strong> Having enduring repair material on hand before the first freeze keeps crews moving.</li>
<li><strong>Seal cracks while you can.</strong> Keeping water out is the cheapest pothole prevention there is.</li>
<li><strong>Measure repeat visits.</strong> The best patching programs track how few holes need a second fix.</li>
</ul>
<p>New York has shown what a sustained push can do. With performance-proven materials like Ambient®, next year's count can reflect new damage, not old repairs. Learn more at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>Source notes: New York State Governor's Office (October 22, 2026).</em></p>


New York state highway crews have filled more than one million potholes so far in 2026 using 39,500 tons of asphalt.

New York Fills One Millionth Pothole of 2026

New York State Fills Its One Millionth Pothole of 2026

<p>England's councils are spending more on their roads than they have in years, and the government wants proof the money is working. On October 21, the Department for Transport (DfT) published new figures showing record local road maintenance and released a further £220 million to councils that met performance targets.</p>
<h2>The numbers</h2>
<p>According to the DfT, councils across England are spending £4.9 billion on road maintenance this year, £800 million more than two years ago. Nearly 7,000 miles of road are being resurfaced in 2026, up 10% on last year.</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/england-releases-220-million-more-for-potholes-but-ba1cabf12a0b.jpg" alt="Workers seal a hairline crack on a rural lane beside unmarked bags of repair mix." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<p>The new £220 million is incentive funding. It's part of the government's £7.3 billion, four-year settlement for local road maintenance, and a portion of each year's money is held back until councils show they're following best practice. At least a quarter of the incentive pot depends on councils publishing transparency reports on their roads, and the DfT says further payments later in the year can be withheld from councils that miss their targets.</p>
<p>The government says better roads could save the average driver up to nearly £600 in repair bills.</p>
<h2>Prevention is part of the scorecard</h2>
<p>One figure stands out. The DfT says 94% of councils will carry out preventative roadworks this year, up from 76% last year. That means sealing and treating roads before potholes form, "stopping the same part of road being patched over and over again."</p>
<p>That's a useful way to think about value for money. A pothole that's repaired once and stays repaired costs far less than one that crews return to every few weeks.</p>
<h2>What councils can do with the extra money</h2>
<p>Funding tied to results puts a spotlight on how long repairs last. A few practical steps help:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Fix it right the first time.</strong> Repeat visits eat into budgets and make performance reports look worse.</li>
<li><strong>Pair prevention with fast reactive repair.</strong> Even the best preventative programme won't stop every winter pothole.</li>
<li><strong>Use materials that perform in real conditions.</strong> British winters mean wet holes and fluctuating temperatures.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Where Ambient® fits</h2>
<p>EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is engineered for first-time fixes. It can be placed in wet holes and holes holding water, bonds to asphalt and concrete, and opens to traffic as soon as it's compacted. There's no mixing and no tack coat, and because it can be stockpiled for months, highways teams can keep it on hand for a fast response all winter. It's thermally resilient, so the repair holds through freeze-thaw cycles instead of becoming next month's defect.</p>
<p>England's funding model is clear: councils that show results get more money. Enduring repairs are one of the most direct ways to show results. Learn more at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>Source notes: GOV.UK, Department for Transport (October 21, 2026); GOV.UK, Highways maintenance block allocations 2026 to 2030 (October 22, 2026).</em></p>


England's Department for Transport released another £220 million for road maintenance to councils that met performance targets this year.

England Releases £220 Million More for Potholes

England Releases £220 Million More for Potholes, but Only for Councils That Hit Their Targets

<p>When San Diego's crews arrived on Bernardo Oaks Drive in Rancho Bernardo this month, they were working on a road that hadn't had major improvements since 1987, according to NBC 7 San Diego. That year, the station noted, a gallon of regular gas averaged 91 cents.</p>
<p>"San Diegans are very clear, they want us to fix the damn roads," Mayor Todd Gloria said at a press conference on the street on October 23.</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/san-diego-repaves-a-street-untouched-since-1987-as-2a60718d9c68.jpg" alt="A worker fills a rain-filled pothole with loose asphalt while another compacts it." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>In-house crews doing the work</h2>
<p>The city is relying on its own employees for a share of the job. Three dedicated paving and reconstruction teams from the city's transportation and public works departments run a Mill and Pave program. Since 2023, they've improved nearly 75 miles of streets hit by severe potholes and cracks, and they're scheduled to complete more than 30 more miles by June 30. Gloria said using city employees instead of more expensive outside contractors helps stretch taxpayer money.</p>
<p>For residents, the change is personal. Ten-year-old Jacob Javonillo, who lives on the street, told NBC 7 there used to be "a lot of big chunks" of broken pavement. "There was one time they tried to fix the road, but that didn't really work," he said.</p>
<h2>Rain is the real stress test</h2>
<p>The repairs come as recent rain exposes worsening potholes across the city. Water seeps into cracks and existing holes, undermining the pavement and turning small defects into hazards. Drivers told NBC 7 they want faster progress. "You can drive, hit a pothole, and cause an accident," said one, Sharon Harris. Another, Gaby Miles, put it more patiently: "It's slow, but if nothing changes, nothing changes."</p>
<h2>Keeping streets safe between repavings</h2>
<p>Repaving is the long-term answer for roads like Bernardo Oaks Drive. But most streets in any city are years away from their turn, and potholes don't wait. That's where quick, durable patching keeps residents safe in the meantime.</p>
<p>EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is engineered for that in-between work. It goes into wet holes and holes holding water, which matters after a storm, bonds to asphalt and concrete, and is ready for traffic once it's compacted. Crews don't need mixing equipment or tack coat, and the material can be stockpiled for months, so in-house teams can respond the day a report comes in. It's thermally stable, holding up through heat as well as wet weather.</p>
<h2>Takeaways for other cities</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Build in-house capacity.</strong> Dedicated city teams can move quickly and learn what lasts.</li>
<li><strong>Pair repaving with rapid patching.</strong> Long-term projects and short-term safety work go hand in hand.</li>
<li><strong>Don't let rain set the schedule.</strong> Materials that work in wet conditions keep crews productive.</li>
</ul>
<p>Bernardo Oaks Drive waited almost four decades. With enduring repairs like Ambient® holding the line between repavings, other streets shouldn't have to. Learn more at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>Source notes: NBC 7 San Diego (October 23, 2026).</em></p>


San Diego crews repaved Bernardo Oaks Drive this month, a road untouched since 1987, as recent rain exposed more potholes across the city.

San Diego Repaves Bernardo Oaks Drive

San Diego Repaves a Street Untouched Since 1987 as Rain Exposes More Potholes

<p>South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province is changing how it fights potholes. In a statement on October 5, Siboniso Duma, the provincial MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, said the department had "declared potholes public enemy number one" and would rely on its own workers rather than tenders.</p>
<p>Duma said some contractors had provided "shoddy service" and disappeared without finishing the work. Instead, the province has employed workers focused on pothole repair, including more than 320 from the Empangeni and Ladysmith regions assigned to the R34, which connects Vryheid, Nquthu, Newcastle and Mpumalanga Province. The P54, a 38.8 km road linking Blood River and Nquthu, is also being rehabilitated.</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/kwazulu-natal-declares-potholes-public-enemy-numbe-15424ecad638.jpg" alt="Rainwater leaves cracked asphalt beside a sealed patch and a distant worker." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>What the engineers found</h2>
<p>The most useful part of the statement is the engineering. According to the department's assessment report, the roads were badly damaged by prolonged rainfall and heavy traffic. "Unsealed cracks allow water to infiltrate the pavement structure," the report said, speeding up the deterioration of the pavement layers and leading to potholes, ravelling and other surface failures. Limited budgets had delayed crack sealing, and the damage grew.</p>
<p>That's the pothole lifecycle in a sentence. A crack lets water in. Water weakens the layers underneath. Traffic pounds the weakened surface until it breaks apart. In a place with heavy rain, the process speeds up.</p>
<h2>Make it safe, then keep water out</h2>
<p>KZN's short-term plan follows that science. Crews are prioritising make-safe blacktop patching, cleaning drainage, clearing overgrown verges and sealing open cracks, all while the larger rehabilitation work is planned. Good drainage and sealed cracks keep water out. Prompt patching keeps vehicles from widening the holes.</p>
<h2>Why patch quality matters on rural routes</h2>
<p>On long provincial routes like the R34 and P54, every return trip to the same pothole costs time and fuel, and keeps workers away from the next problem. Patches have to hold through heavy trucks and the next round of rain.</p>
<p>EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is engineered for those conditions. It can be placed in wet holes and holes holding water, bonds to asphalt and concrete, and is ready for traffic as soon as it's compacted. It needs no mixing plant and no tack coat, and it can be stockpiled for months, so in-house crews on remote routes can carry it with them and fix holes as they find them. It's thermally resilient, keeping its integrity through heat and weather.</p>
<h2>The lesson for every road agency</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Seal cracks early.</strong> It's the cheapest way to stop potholes before they start.</li>
<li><strong>Keep drains clear.</strong> Standing water is a pothole's best friend.</li>
<li><strong>Patch with materials that last.</strong> A sealed surface only helps if the repair holds.</li>
</ul>
<p>KwaZulu-Natal's approach puts the science first. Paired with enduring repairs like Ambient®, it's a strong way to keep people, goods and learners moving. Learn more at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>Source notes: KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport (October 5, 2026).</em></p>


KwaZulu-Natal has declared potholes public enemy number one and will use its own workers instead of contractors after shoddy service and abandoned projects.

KwaZulu-Natal Declares War on Potholes

KwaZulu-Natal Declares Potholes Public Enemy Number One

<p>Across Mexico, pothole repair, known as <em>bacheo</em>, is moving from emergency response to everyday routine. This month, several cities reported big numbers and new approaches as the rainy season winds down.</p>
<h2>Toluca goes continuous</h2>
<p>In Toluca, Mayor Ricardo Moreno announced on October 1 that the city's bacheo program would become an ongoing operation instead of an emergency one. According to the city, crews have repaired 72,000 potholes so far, with a remaining inventory of about 5,000 reported by residents. Starting in the third week of October, its 48 repair brigades began operating without interruption. Every job since January 2025 is logged in a public digital system, Portal Toluca, so residents can see where the money goes.</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/mexico-s-cities-turn-pothole-repair-into-year-roun-27ff1b51bdfd.jpg" alt="A worker packs cold asphalt into a shallow wet pothole beside a supply truck." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Chihuahua, Tijuana and Nogales step up</h2>
<p>Other cities are moving fast too. Chihuahua's municipal government reported 2,579 potholes repaired between October 19 and 23, roughly 516 a day, according to Chihuahua ES!. Residents can report holes by calling 072.</p>
<p>In Tijuana, the "Tijuana Sin Baches" program launched on October 6 with plans to treat 90 roads by December, at a cost of about 90 million pesos, according to Síntesis TV. Some holes on Bulevar Bernardo O'Higgins were more than 10 centimeters deep, so crews removed the damaged surface before placing hot asphalt. Of the 90 roads, 44 will be treated with jet-patching machines for shallower damage.</p>
<p>In Nogales, Sonora, the city has covered 2,898 potholes and about 7,240 square meters of road in 36 neighborhoods after heavy rains, according to Nuevo Día.</p>
<h2>Matching the method to the hole</h2>
<p>What these cities share is a mix of methods: hot asphalt for deep, badly damaged sections, machines for shallow surface defects, and crews spread across neighborhoods for everything in between. The hard part is the long tail of scattered, individual potholes, often wet after rain and on busy streets where traffic can't wait.</p>
<p>That's where EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt shines. It's engineered to go into wet holes and holes holding water, bond to asphalt and concrete, and carry traffic as soon as it's compacted. There's no plant to run, no mixing and no tack coat, and it can be stockpiled for months, so a brigade can carry it all day and repair holes as they're reported. It's thermally stable, too, holding up in hot climates like Sonora's and Chihuahua's.</p>
<h2>What makes a year-round program work</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Keep material ready.</strong> Continuous brigades need a supply that doesn't depend on a hot plant schedule.</li>
<li><strong>Track every repair.</strong> Toluca's public portal shows how transparency builds trust.</li>
<li><strong>Prioritise lasting fixes.</strong> A high daily count means more when the holes stay fixed.</li>
</ul>
<p>Mexico's cities are proving that pothole repair works best as a habit, not a crisis. Enduring materials like Ambient® help make every one of those repairs count. Learn more at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
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<p><em>Source notes: Ayuntamiento de Toluca (October 1, 2026); Chihuahua ES! (October 24, 2026); Síntesis TV (October 6, 2026); Nuevo Día (October 20, 2026).</em></p>


Toluca turned its bacheo program into a continuous operation after fixing 72,000 potholes this year.

Toluca Makes Pothole Repair Year-Round Work

Mexico's Cities Turn Pothole Repair Into Year-Round Work

<p>Victoria's road crews have repaired more than 100,000 potholes since July under a $1.4 billion maintenance program, according to Victorian Government figures reported by Roads &amp; Infrastructure and Blue Collar News. The work covers more than 6.8 million square metres of pavement across more than 1,000 separate projects, and the state says it's on track to fill more than 500,000 potholes by the end of June 2027.</p>
<p>The government says the blitz is "doubling the number of potholes filled and doubling the length of road repaired."</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/victoria-hits-100-000-potholes-in-its-1-4-billion--d140d7490332.jpg" alt="Night crew compacts asphalt into a wet pothole during a short freeway lane closure." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>The roads doing the heavy lifting</h2>
<p>In regional Victoria, the named priorities include the Western, Glenelg, Princes and Calder highways and the Hume Freeway, the backbone of the state's freight network. Around Melbourne, crews are working on the West Gate Freeway, the Princes Highway, Ballarto Road and the Mornington Peninsula Freeway.</p>
<p>These are high-volume, high-speed roads. A pothole on a freeway isn't just a jolt. It's a burst tyre at 100 km/h, a swerve into the next lane or a truck dropping a wheel into a hole that keeps getting deeper with every axle. On roads like these, repair quality is a safety question as much as a budget one.</p>
<h2>Count the square metres, not just the potholes</h2>
<p>Blue Collar News made a sharp point in its coverage: the 6.8 million square metres matter more than the pothole tally. The square metres are the resurfacing and rehabilitation work that stops new potholes forming. The potholes are the symptom.</p>
<p>That's the right way to read any big pothole number. A program that fills 500,000 holes is doing a lot of work. A program that fills 500,000 holes and sees next year's count fall is fixing the network. The test, as the outlet noted, is whether pothole numbers keep climbing while resurfacing stalls. If they do, it's patch-and-repeat.</p>
<h2>Why the patch still matters</h2>
<p>Resurfacing is the long-term fix, but it can't reach every kilometre at once. In between, patching keeps roads open and safe. On a busy freeway, every repair also carries the cost of traffic management, lane closures and often night shifts, so a patch that fails and has to be redone costs far more than the material in the hole.</p>
<p>That's why it pays to get each repair right the first time. EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is an engineered, ready-to-use asphalt that bonds to asphalt and concrete, works in wet holes and opens to traffic as soon as it's compacted. For crews working short night-time closures, that means less time in the lane and repairs built to endure through the temperature swings that open up weak joints.</p>
<h2>What other agencies can take from Victoria</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Pair patching with resurfacing.</strong> Big pothole counts are only good news if the resurfacing side keeps pace.</li>
<li><strong>Prioritise freight and high-speed routes.</strong> That's where defects cause the most damage and the most risk.</li>
<li><strong>Track repeat repairs.</strong> The best measure of a blitz is how few of its fixes need a second visit.</li>
<li><strong>Choose materials for the closure window.</strong> On busy roads, a repair that goes in fast and stays put saves the most money.</li>
</ul>
<p>Half a million potholes is an ambitious target. The bigger win would be a network where, a few years from now, there are far fewer to fill. Learn more about enduring pothole repair at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>Source notes: Blue Collar News, citing Victorian Government via Roads &amp; Infrastructure (Oct 12, 2026).</em></p>


Victoria has repaired more than 100,000 potholes since July under its $1.4 billion road maintenance program.

Victoria Repairs 100,000 Potholes in Blitz

Victoria Hits 100,000 Potholes in Its $1.4 Billion Road Blitz. The Real Target Is 500,000

<p>Every road crew knows the problem. You fix a pothole, the rain comes back, and the hole you just filled starts to come apart. In Nelson Mandela Bay, on South Africa's Eastern Cape coast, that cycle is shaping one of the country's busiest municipal repair drives.</p>
<p>The metro's "Fill Up the Bay" campaign has repaired 5,944 potholes since it launched in August 2026, according to SAnews. Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe launched the drive in the Perseverance Industrial Area, and it has since expanded to areas including Veeplaas and Ward 30, where roads were badly damaged by flooding and long maintenance backlogs. The municipality has set aside R61 million for road maintenance, with R30 million ring-fenced for faster pothole repairs.</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/nelson-mandela-bay-passes-5-900-pothole-repairs-as-1140675fcb30.jpg" alt="Stormwater flows into a cleared roadside drain beside cracked pavement." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>When the weather won't cooperate</h2>
<p>The mayor was candid about what's slowing things down. Persistent rain has affected both the pace and the quality of the work. Contractors have sometimes had to stop in some areas and wait for surfaces to dry, and heavy downpours have damaged some newly laid asphalt.</p>
<p>That's an honest admission, and it's one every wet-climate agency will recognise. Water is the main enemy of a pothole repair. It gets under the edges, weakens the bond with the old pavement and washes out fines before the patch has had a chance to settle. A repair that needs a dry hole and a dry week is a repair that waits, and a hole that waits keeps growing.</p>
<h2>Fix the water, then fix the road</h2>
<p>The most interesting part of the campaign isn't the pothole count. It's the drains.</p>
<p>Over the past three months, 400 participants in South Africa's Expanded Public Works Programme have worked alongside municipal teams to clear 4,700 stormwater drains, remove debris from 3.4 kilometres of stormwater canals and complete a kilometre of jet-vac cleaning. Contractors must also hire at least three local residents in every ward where they work.</p>
<p>Lobishe put it plainly: "Fixing potholes without concurrently addressing stormwater drainage and canals would be an exercise in futility. A major root cause of our road damage is stormwater running across the tarmac instead of being channelled through functional drains and canals."</p>
<p>She's right. Drainage is the single best long-term pothole prevention tool most cities have. Clear drains mean less standing water, less water working into cracks and fewer new holes after every storm.</p>
<h2>Where material choice comes in</h2>
<p>Drainage handles the cause. Crews still have to deal with the potholes that are already there, often in the rain and often on roads that can't be closed for long. That's where the repair material makes a real difference.</p>
<p>EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is engineered for exactly those conditions. It works even in holes that are wet or holding water, bonds to asphalt and concrete, and is ready for traffic as soon as it's placed and compacted. There's no mixing and no tack coat, and it can be stockpiled for months, so crews can keep material on hand and get to a defect between showers instead of waiting for a dry spell.</p>
<h2>Lessons for any wet-season program</h2>
<p>Nelson Mandela Bay's approach offers a useful model for cities, campuses and property managers heading into their own rainy or freeze-thaw season:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Clear drains before the storms.</strong> Every blocked gully is a pothole waiting to happen.</li>
<li><strong>Target flood-damaged roads early.</strong> Water-weakened pavement fails fastest.</li>
<li><strong>Plan for wet repairs.</strong> If your material can't handle a damp hole, your schedule depends on the forecast.</li>
<li><strong>Count what lasts.</strong> The number that matters is how many repairs are still intact after the next big downpour.</li>
</ul>
<p>Weather will always set the terms for road crews. Pairing good drainage with thermally resilient, performance-proven repair materials like Ambient® helps make sure the next storm doesn't undo the last month's work. Learn more at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
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<p><em>Source notes: SAnews (Oct 12, 2026).</em></p>


Persistent rain in Nelson Mandela Bay has slowed pothole repairs but the metro has fixed 5,944 holes and cleared 4,700 drains since August 2026 to protect roads.

Nelson Mandela Bay Repairs 5,944 Potholes

Nelson Mandela Bay Passes 5,900 Pothole Repairs as Rain Tests Every Patch

<p>When a road is full of potholes, most drivers don't care whose road it is. They care that traffic has stopped. In Kingston, Jamaica, that frustration has pushed the city to start fixing roads that technically belong to someone else.</p>
<p>The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) has started a major patching project across the city, the Jamaica Observer reported on October 9. Mayor Andrew Swaby said crews have begun work on badly damaged sections of 20 to 25 roads in downtown Kingston, New Kingston and surrounding communities. Some of those roads are under the control of the National Works Agency (NWA), not the municipality.</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/kingston-s-mayor-starts-patching-roads-that-aren-t-eda7c7aaf65a.jpg" alt="A worker tamps fresh asphalt into a wet pothole beside a glistening drain." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Potholes as a traffic problem</h2>
<p>Swaby's reasoning was practical. "They are not only community roads but actually we are fixing some main roads, and… it's important for us to fix those main roads because clearly, where you have these big craters across the road it impedes traffic," he said. "It appears you have to slow down and it builds up that traffic."</p>
<p>That's a cost that rarely shows up in a road budget. Every pothole on a main route slows hundreds or thousands of vehicles a day. Drivers brake, swerve and bunch up. Commutes get longer, buses run late and deliveries cost more. Fixing a busy road quickly often pays back faster than any line item suggests.</p>
<h2>Split responsibility, stretched budgets</h2>
<p>The patching drive comes after months of public disagreement between some municipal leaders and Robert Morgan, the minister responsible for works, over road conditions and funding. Morgan has argued that municipal corporations must do more to maintain their own roads. Swaby has countered that the Parochial Revenue Fund, which pays for road work, also has to cover other municipal duties, and that the corporation has no dedicated road fund.</p>
<p>"There are times… we have to divert those funds in cleaning drains," he said.</p>
<p>The KSAMC announced a J$220 million road rehabilitation programme earlier this year covering all 40 of its divisions, and said 33 roads had been repaired for J$90 million by March. In June it raised its Divisional Allocation Fund from J$10 million to J$13 million for each urban division and J$13.5 million for rural divisions, money that also covers drain cleaning and emergency work.</p>
<h2>When money is tight, repeat repairs are the enemy</h2>
<p>Kingston's situation is common around the world. Roads are split between agencies, budgets are shared with other priorities and the public sees only the hole. In that setting, the most expensive repair is the one you have to do twice.</p>
<p>A patch that loosens in the next heavy rain means another crew visit, another traffic slowdown and another round of complaints. A repair that's built to endure frees up money for the next road on the list. That's where a ready-to-use, engineered material such as EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt fits. It bonds to asphalt and concrete, works in wet holes, needs no mixing or tack coat and can carry traffic as soon as it's compacted, so crews can fix a main road and reopen it fast. Because it can be stockpiled for months, it also suits agencies that fund repairs in bursts rather than on a steady monthly budget.</p>
<h2>A shared goal</h2>
<p>However the funding argument is settled, the goal is the same for the city, the national agency and the drivers stuck in traffic: roads that stay fixed. Kingston's patching drive is a step toward that. Pairing it with clear drains and thermally resilient repair materials would help those 20 to 25 roads stay off next year's list. Learn more at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
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<p><em>Source notes: Jamaica Observer (Oct 9, 2026).</em></p>


Kingston mayor Andrew Swaby has ordered patching on 20 to 25 roads including national routes controlled by the NWA to ease traffic jams caused by potholes.

Kingston Mayor Patches National Roads

Kingston's Mayor Starts Patching Roads That Aren't Even His. Drivers Just Want Them Fixed

<p>Pennsylvania is trying something every road agency wishes it could do: move paving jobs forward instead of pushing them back.</p>
<p>On September 24, Governor Josh Shapiro and PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll announced the first $250 million of new funding for 79 "Rapid Deployment Projects" covering more than 400 miles of paving in 44 counties. Over the next 18 months, the state plans to put a total of $775 million from its Motor License Fund into repairing state-owned roads quickly. That's on top of the roughly $4 billion in projects PennDOT expects to send out to bid this year.</p>
<figure class="ai-figure"><img src="https://zn2m7h2eiy0bs6ve.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/uploads/ai/pennsylvania-s-775-million-rapid-deployment-push-m-42b2f7abc5ee.jpg" alt="Workers load cold-patch asphalt at a yard near potholed roads." width="1280" height="720" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /><figcaption>AI-generated illustration.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Paving that wasn't on the schedule</h2>
<p>The local details show what "rapid" means in practice.</p>
<p>In Montour County, a stretch of Route 11 in Danville and Mahoning Township would have received a thinner preservation treatment next year. Instead, it's being milled and resurfaced this fall, with work starting October 5 and expected to wrap up by the end of November, weather permitting.</p>
<p>In Pittston, Luzerne County, four miles of Main Street (Route 2004) and Route 11 were not scheduled for resurfacing within the next five years and would only have received base repairs and crack sealing. Work there also started October 5.</p>
<p>Elsewhere, a Route 77 paving project in Crawford County planned for 2027 started early, and U.S. 40 in Fayette County is getting six more miles of paving than originally planned.</p>
<h2>Freeing up crews for the rest of the network</h2>
<p>Secretary Carroll made a point that often gets lost in big funding announcements: "Investing in these additional and expanded projects also allows PennDOT maintenance crews and funds to focus on other activities that help preserve our road and bridge system."</p>
<p>That's the real value. Even a $775 million push can't resurface every mile. Pennsylvania still has tens of thousands of miles of state roads, and winter is weeks away. Crews were out patching potholes on Interstate 81 northbound in Luzerne County on October 10, a reminder that resurfacing and pothole repair happen side by side.</p>
<h2>Patching still carries the network through winter</h2>
<p>When paving gets the headlines, patching does the daily work of keeping roads safe until the paver arrives. In a freeze-thaw state like Pennsylvania, that work peaks in late winter and early spring, exactly when conditions are hardest on repairs.</p>
<p>That's where material choice matters most. EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is engineered to bond to asphalt and concrete, to work even in wet holes and to carry traffic as soon as it's compacted. It's thermally resilient, so it's designed to hold up through the temperature swings that pop out weak patches. Because it can be stockpiled for months, maintenance yards can be stocked before the first freeze and ready for the calls that follow every thaw.</p>
<h2>What other states and counties can learn</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Move good projects forward when money allows.</strong> Paving a road before it fails is cheaper than rebuilding it after.</li>
<li><strong>Use new funding to free up maintenance crews.</strong> Pennsylvania's approach lets crews spend more time preserving the roads that aren't getting paved.</li>
<li><strong>Stock up before winter.</strong> The best time to plan pothole repair is before the potholes arrive.</li>
<li><strong>Make each patch count.</strong> Every repair that holds is one less lane closure in February.</li>
</ul>
<p>Faster paving and smarter patching work best together. Pennsylvania's push shows what more money can do on the paving side. Enduring repairs with materials like Ambient® help make sure the rest of the network gets through the winter in good shape. Learn more at <a href="https://ezstreetasphalt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ezstreetasphalt.com</a>.</p>
<hr />
<p><em>Source notes: Pennsylvania Governor's Office (Sep 24, 2026); PennDOT District 3 (Oct 1, 2026); PennDOT District 4 (Oct 9, 2026).</em></p>


PennDOT will use $775 million from the Motor License Fund to advance paving on more than 400 miles of state roads in 44 counties years earlier than planned.

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