City of Tampa opens portal, promising 72-hour turnaround time for most road repairs
TAMPA, Fla. - The pandemic put a pause on fixing Tampa’s pothole problem. But now, a new initiative spearheaded by the city is promising to take your complaint at any hour of the day, and address it within three days.
"We’re committing to a 72-hour turnaround time for not only inspecting the problem, but also in most cases taking care of the problem and repairing it," said the city’s mobility and infrastructure director, Jean Duncan.
The new portal, called "Fix It Fast," is an attempt at keeping the city of Tampa roadways safe for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. It’s part of Mayor Jane Castor’s ‘Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow’ vision.
Right now, the city repairs, on average, 7,000 potholes a year.
And the portal is not just for potholes.
"We’re looking at any of those street issues you may have, whether it’s a pothole, a street sign in the road, a limb in the road; those issues, you can call in to 274-FAST," Castor said.
Though the city has an average repair time of just 40 hours, they say there’s still room for improvement.
"I think our average is about 13 calls a day for these types of issues," Duncan said. "These were also one of the top areas of concern when we did a citywide survey about what our citizens are interested in the most.
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Already, resident Heidi Manwaring says she knows of a few places in her neighborhood and along her commute that could use some work.
"It would be awesome if this was a smoother road to drive on, especially because we have kids who ride scooters, bikes, skateboards," she said.