The Operations and Maintenance Division repairs many potholes each year through a private contractor. A pothole is an area of the roadway that is missing a piece or pieces of pavement and a hole has been created. As the diagrams show, water is the main culprit and the pavement continues to deteriorate and the pothole worsens as vehicles run over them or hit them.
A pothole is fixed by removing the loose pavement and cleaning the hole, then spraying it with a tack coat of liquid asphalt. Next, hot asphalt is compacted into the hole and the surfaced leveled and rolled to create a smooth surface. In some cases, the deteriorated area will require a larger area to be removed by saw-cutting additional pavement around the pothole, removing additional amounts of pavement, aggregate base and the underlying soil, and then filling the area with new hot asphalt to be compacted and smoothed.
If you notice a crack or pothole on an unincorporated Orange County street, you may submit a service request or contact the OC Operations & Maintenance office at (714) 955-0200. An inspector will be sent to inspect the area and then coordinate to schedule a crew to make the necessary repairs as needed.
Note: For pothole repairs on non-county streets, please contact the respective city for assistance. To report issues on Orange County highways and highway bridges, please contact CalTrans.
