Motorists of Lincoln Drive, if you've been thinking that your trips down the roadway this season have been a nightmare, it’s been no dream. The hundreds of bumps and jostles your car has been taking are real. In fact, the city's Streets Department confirms to NBC10 that they've filled 500 potholes on Lincoln Drive between Ridge Avenue and Wayne Avenue since January 1.
But the city warns that conditions along the roadway are likely to get worse before they get better.
"Motorists should note that as the weather and temperatures improve, there will likely be additional potholes along the Drive," said Streets Department Spokeswoman Crystal Jacobs. "While our goal is to keep the road in a state of good repair, the thawing of the roads and high volume of traffic will continue to prompt repairs and additional potholes."
Jacobs credits a combination of drastic freeze and thaw cycles, traffic volume, and the pre-existing condition of the roadway for the increased number of potholes on Lincoln Drive this year. Despite driver and neighbor complaints that repairs are slow, Jacobs says the Philadelphia Streets Department has been "aggressively" repairing potholes as they appear on this section of road, with workers last dispatched for repairs on Friday, February 16.
While drivers and their tires will have to continue their struggle along the roadway during this pothole season, permanent relief is on the horizon. Jacobs says a $7.6 million resurfacing and repair project is currently in the final stages of being awarded to a contractor.
Once finalized, 2.2 miles of roadway between Wayne and Ridge Avenues will be resurfaced along with improvements to drainage, guiderails and lighting. Work is expected to begin on the project in the summer of 2018.
