Belleville just launched a new way to report potholes. Here’s how to request fixes
The city of Belleville launched an online system last week where residents can report roadway concerns, including potholes.
Reports can be made for any local street, and if the road is not maintained by the city, it will be rerouted to the appropriate agency, such as the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Previously, roadway concerns were reported through phone and email and recorded on paper.
The new reporting system has an app called “MyBelleville,” which is currently available on Google Play and Apple’s App Store.
Reports can be made 24/7, and you can opt-in to receive status updates and resolution notifications.
To report a concern, you can allow the website or app to access your current location, drag and drop a pin at the location or enter a complete address. You’ll then be prompted to select a type of concern, including issues with roads, street lights, parking, trees, animals and a variety of other options. Then, you can leave a comment describing the concern and upload up to five photos or files.
If you sign in or create an account through the city’s website, you can receive updates about your request.
How does Belleville address potholes and road concerns?
Director of Public Works Jason Poole said most reported potholes are filled within three to four business days, depending on the season. Potholes are not filled in rainy or snowy conditions.
“In the late spring/summer, we can pretty much have it filled the same day,” Poole said.
But in the winter, with frequent temperature changes and frost, it’s hard to keep up with fill requests.
“We really couldn’t keep up with them. We were running two trucks for a while last month,” Poole said.
Emergency concerns, such as sinkholes and incidents involving vehicle damage, are responded to as quickly as possible.
About 25% to 30% of pothole reports are made for potholes that are repeat offenders, because filling a pothole is a temporary fix, Poole said.
Resources to make permanent repairs are allocated based on emergency-based urgency, number of potholes on the street, size of potholes and other factors. Major repairs are handled by the city’s engineers rather than the streets department.
Poole said a ballpark estimate for the number of potholes filled per year in Belleville is 750 to 1,000. Exact numbers are difficult to find, he said, because the streamlined online reporting process is new and requests were previously made on paper and through phone.
This story was originally published April 5, 2022 at 11:47 AM.
