You could win a $25 gift card if you report a Haverhill street pothole or, as Mayor James J. Fiorentini calls them, “roadway mines.”
The mayor is again having his Pothole Contest this week to help identify and repair them. He cautions residents, however, to know the difference between a pothole and a sinkhole. He explains potholes generally occur when a road crack collects water and freezes, while a sinkhole may be the result of an underlying problem such a water main issue.
“Haverhill is one of the largest geographic cities in the state with 228 center lane road miles, so please be patient and please keep letting us know where the potholes are,” Fiorentini said.
Anyone who calls 311 (or 978-358-1311 outside of Haverhill) to report a pothole to the city’s will be asked to provide their contact information to be entered into a drawing for $25 gift cards to Dunkin’ and other city businesses. Calls to the Highway Department are accepted between 8 a.m. Monday and 4 p.m. Friday, April 5. The public may also report potholes by emailing [email protected] or [email protected] or by sending a text to 978-420-4210
The city’s standard for repairing regular potholes is 24-72 hours of notification. There are two large trucks patching potholes. More than 300 requests have come in since January and highway crews have already patched approximately 250 of those.