The harsh winter storms have taken a severe toll on the already deteriorating roadways in unincorporated Sacramento County. With over 5,200 lane miles of paved roads, the county has a backlog of nearly $850 million in roadway maintenance. To combat this, the Sacramento County Department of Transportation (SACDOT) now has a policy to repair all potholes as soon as possible to prevent further deterioration of the roads.
SACDOT crews carry out regular inspections to identify and repair potholes, and residents, law enforcement, and others can also report potholes to the Sacramento County 311 Connect hotline or website. Last year, the county filled over 80,000 potholes in the unincorporated area, and this year, they have already filled 52,000. While pothole filling is not a permanent solution, it does help to improve the driving experience and roadway safety in the short term.
According to Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond (District 3), In the past two years, the Board of Supervisors has allocated an additional $62.5 million for roadway maintenance, in addition to funding for larger projects like Complete Streets that include repaving and slurry sealing. This paving season, which runs from April to October, the county will have over $70 million worth of roadway projects under construction. A complete list of the county’s projects can be found on the SacDOT Project Master List.
While these efforts are a step in the right direction, they still fall short of addressing the overwhelming backlog of roadway maintenance in unincorporated Sacramento County. The fight for more transportation funding to fix the roads will continue, but for now, residents can report potholes in their neighborhoods by calling 311 or 875-4311, or by reporting online through the 311 website.
