Mérida, Yucatán — It’s not easy for the city to keep up with potholes, which appear even more frequently in rainy weather.
Merida has 2,600 kilometers of roads with probably half a million potholes, said Virgilio Crespo Méndez, director of Public Works. With each significant stretch of rain, another 1,500 to 2,000 road defects crop up.
Half the roads in the city have exceeded their lifespans, he said.
Most potholes are reported by Public Works supervisors, but the public can report potholes at the “¡Bache a la Vista! web page or on the city Ayuntatel hotline 070 or 924-4000.
Additionally, the Mérida Móvil app allows users to photograph a pothole and upload it with location coordinates.
But the public apparently is not in the habit of reporting potholes, said Crespo Méndez. They get reports of 35-40 a day, which he considers low considering a municipal population quickly reaching one million.
The city promises for a response time of up to 72 hours to fix a bache, but aims for same-day service.
A team of 220 people are divided into 31 brigades. Of those 20 work by day and 11 by night. Four of the night-shift crews attend the Centro Histórico.
Source: Punto Medio
