Citizens can now report potholes on roadways to the city's Public Works department using either an online portal or social media.
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer on Wednesday announced a new online tool and Twitter hashtag residents with Internet access can utilize to report potholes.
City officials tout the new tools as "simple" and "more convenient" than calling the city's MetroCall 311 service and facing long wait times "due to so many people calling."
The online pothole reporting tools are the new preferred methods for reporting potholes, Fischer said.
The new tools allow residents with a Twitter account to tweet #502pothole followed by the location of the pothole to alert city crews of the repair need.
Residents can also log on to the city's website to submit a repair request, according to a city news release.
The new tools are introduced as the city's public works department is in the midst of their so-called "pothole blitz," during which they make a concerted effort to repair the damage done to city roads and streets by the freeze-thaw cycle of winter.
Last year, city crews patched more than 146,000 potholes during the blitz period, according to city information. In 2014, nearly 20,000 potholes were repaired during the blitz period.
Generally, potholes are created when water seeps into pavement cracks, freezes and then expands. The expansion causes the pavement to break apart, and the weight of passing vehicles further breaks the pavement, leading to a pothole.
