Why is that one pothole that you have to swerve to avoid every day on your drive to work still there after a month? Quite probably, it’s because it simply hasn’t been reported.
“Usually, citizens will let us know”, says Ethan Burnette, a supervisor for VDOT’s Southwest Area Headquarters.
Burnette continues, “They’re very vocal – especially about holes. Which is great. It’s not a harmful thing. We like to know about it. I’d say our work order system for potholes is our number one catch all.”
I met up with Burnette as a crew was working on a residential road in Vinton.
Burnette outlined the morning's task, “Right now, we’re patching this road because here in the next couple of weeks, they’re going to be repaving it. So, we’re coming out here, patching it, leveling it before they come out here.”
VDOT takes care of state-maintained roads, while local jurisdictions handle city streets. The VDOT website has an interactive map that draws those distinctions. The website also allows you report a problem, mark it on the map, and even upload a picture.
Burnette explains what happens next, “Once a citizen calls in a pothole, washout, or sinkhole; then we base it on severity. So, we will send a crew out to eyeball it. More than likely, it will be a supervisor or superintendent. They’ll get a gauge to see the severity if it’s an issue to harm to travel in public. Based on that, then we will place it in other work – basically, an order.”
There are always repairs needing to be made and primary roads receive priority.
“If we have a pothole on a primary road like [Route] 220 or 24 and multiple people are calling it in, that’s a more heavily trafficked road, so generally we’ll jump on something like that beforehand", says Burnette.
As for some numbers: VDOT’s Salem District has 29 equipped crews covering twelve counties. They patched 17,500 potholes in 2014— and as many as 32,000 in 2026. Those repairs consume on average about 60 to 70 thousand tons of asphalt per year.
“Our crews are always on call", says VDOT Salem District spokesperson Jen Ward. “Typically, it’s five days a week. But if we have issues, we have ‘call out’ status, where someone will go out and handle - like if we have a tree down at night, a crew will go out. They’ll get dispatched once they learn of it and they’ll go out and handle the tree and make sure the road is clear.”
Ward explains VDOT’s work includes more than pothole fixes, “Maintenance is all year round and we’re doing varying things - not always patching. Ditching, mowing – there’s lots of different roles and the area headquarters usually meet in the morning and decide who’s going where to do what.”
As you might imagine, keeping up with repairs is a constant effort.
Ward emphasizes that drivers’ input plays a vital role and reporting is welcomed, “We appreciate the extra eyes. We don’t travel the same roads every single day. And if you see a pothole or if you see another hazardous road condition that you think we need to attend to, you know, give us a call. The more you can help the better we can do. We want to hear about it if you see it.”
You can find more information and file a road repair request here.
