Driving through Covington is going a little smoother after public works staff processed more than twice as many pothole-removal work orders in fiscal year 2024, which ended June 30, as in 2023.
Data from the city’s Thriving Neighborhood website reported 490 completed projects in fiscal year 2024, compared to 156 in fiscal year 2023. The data reported 206 completed projects in fiscal year 2021 and 217 in fiscal year 2022.
Department officials attributed the increase in workload to higher staffing levels.
“I think that’s largely because we’re fully staffed in the department,” said Keith Bales, public works director. “They’re more proactive than ever. We’re getting plenty of support in terms of funding for personnel and equipment from the commission.”
The second reason the Public Works Department gave us concerned an agreement between the city and the Kentucky Department of Transportation that allowed Covington staff to repair reported potholes on roads managed and operated by the state, not the city.
“This has helped us to be proactive in reaching out to citizens who travel on these state roads,” said Bill Matteoli, deputy director of the Department of Public Works.
These state roads include 4th and 5th Streets, Madison Avenue and Howard Litzler Drive, among others, which lead beyond the city limits.
Despite the increase in successful projects, everything continued as usual for the building authority’s employees, the building authority explained.
“I don’t know if they said they’re busier than usual. They’re always busy,” Bales said.
Covington said it finds potholes that need to be repaired by construction crews on site and by residents who can make requests. The first option is to call the Department of Public Works directly at 859-292-2292.
The second option is to go to the Covington website and click on the “How do I do this?” button in the top right corner.
You will then be prompted to click on “Report” and then “Potholes.” Once you select this option, the form will ask you for a name, phone number or email address, address, and an explanation of the services you require. Pictures of the pothole can be attached to the online form.
A city spokeswoman explained that due to an old contract, the city no longer uses an app to report potholes.
The Covington Public Works Department said it works hard to respond quickly to requests for service in its city. Its deputy director said they respond to requests between the day they are reported and about three days later, depending on the situation.
This story originally appeared on WCPO.com.
