'Pothole Patrol' in Milwaukee; road improvement continues

MILWAUKEE - It's an issue Milwaukee drivers know all too well.

Gov. Tony Evers said he's making it a priority to help Milwaukee leaders patch up the pothole problem.

If you drive anywhere in Milwaukee, it’s likely you’ll see a pothole, if not hit one.

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Barbara Jean said not only are they annoying to drive over, they can be damaging.

"We go down the street together, and [my son] says ‘Geez here we go, look out mom!’" Jean said. "People’s cars are in jeopardy. I know my son has talked about the damage to his cars."

Her son lives on S 2nd St. in Milwaukee. That’s where Evers made a stop on his "Pothole Patrol" tour on Tuesday, April 30.

"Potholes are important to get rid of," the governor said. "We’ve fixed almost 7,500 miles of roads in the state of Wisconsin."

He joined public works crews to patch up the stretch of problems in the pavement while discussing how his administration is investing to fix city and state roads.

"The Department of Public Works takes very seriously their obligation, our obligation to fix and maintain the streets," Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. "We want to fix them, just let us know they are there, and we are happy to go out and fix them, as we were doing today."

With thousands of pothole requests the city gets each year, it takes multiple people and crews to fix them.

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Johnson said by reporting it to the city, you can help stop the pothole problem.

"Whether you are going to school, work, what have you, make sure you call that stuff in," he said.

This year alone, DPW said it’s received more than 5,200 requests to fix potholes.