EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — El Paso leaders are expected to spend Monday and Tuesday working through long-term plans for the city, including street conditions and new data on pothole complaints.
As part of the discussion, the city is reviewing 3-1-1 call data to see which issues residents report most often. City data shows potholes are the second most reported issue citywide, with more than 3,600 complaints filed between March of last year and the end of January of this year. That is a noticeable increase from 2024, when the city recorded about 2,000 pothole complaints for the year.
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When broken down by district, potholes appear as one of the most common service requests across the city. In District 1, residents filed more than 550 pothole complaints. District 2 reported just over 360. District 3 saw around 440, and District 4 reported more than 340. District 5 reported just under 240. In the Lower Valley and East El Paso, District 6 recorded nearly 600 pothole complaints, while District 7 reported the highest total, with more than 650. District 8 reported about 440 complaints.
Potholes reported to 3-1-1 (Credit: City of El Paso)
Potholes reported to 3-1-1 (Credit: City of El Paso)
City officials say they rely on the Pavement Condition Index, a study used to determine which roads need the most attention. “The PCI is the pavement condition index and it’s a scientific study that’s done every five to seven years by the city of El Paso. That gives us a true indication of how good the pavement is, how good that asphalt layer that we’re riding on is,” said Randy Garcia, the city’s director of streets and maintenance.
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Garcia said the Pavement Condition Index looks at both the road surface and conditions below it, helping the city decide which streets to resurface. He said resurfacing is intended to fix potholes and help prevent them from returning. “So through resurfacing, you’re inherently going to fix all the potholes,” Garcia said. He added, “Some of these streets are being resurfaced for the first time after being initially constructed. So once you get a new street resurfaced, that street should really hold up from getting potholes for a minimum of five years.”
The city said leaders will use the data and review community feedback to set priorities for which roads to work on first as they update the city’s strategic plan for the next two years.
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