It is peak pothole season in New York City, and drivers are feeling every jolt. More than 11,300 pothole reports have already been logged to 311 in 2026, with complaints running roughly 33 percent higher than at the same point last year. Queens has taken the hardest hit, while drivers and mechanics across all five boroughs report a spike in tire, rim and suspension damage. City crews insist they are hustling to keep up, but plenty of residents say the patches are coming way too slowly.
According to the New York City Department of Transportation, crews repave more than 1,150 lane miles each year, and the agency typically closes pothole work orders in about two days on average. City officials credit that pace to expanded paving programs and dedicated pothole crews. Management reports and performance tables show DOT repairing tens of thousands of potholes on local streets and major arterials every year, which helps explain both the sheer volume of 311 calls and the occasional backlog. For anyone who wants to sift through the details, the city’s 311 service-request data and recent updates are posted publicly online.
Boroughs and hotspots
A New York Post review of 311 service requests found more than 11,300 pothole complaints so far in 2026, about a 33 percent jump from the same period last year, with Queens alone accounting for nearly half of the calls. Brooklyn, Staten Island and Manhattan have also racked up thousands of reports, while the Bronx has logged hundreds of complaints. The Post also noted that more than a quarter of 311 pothole cases were still listed as open, pending or in progress at the time of the analysis. The same reporting flagged stretches like Northern Boulevard in Queens that drew unusually high numbers of complaints in a short window, a sign of concentrated trouble spots scattered around the city.
Drivers, mechanics and the seasonal cause
'There’s potholes everywhere. my tires are literally crying,' one exasperated social-media post read, a short, furious line the Post cited as capturing the citywide mood. Mechanics and neighborhood shops told local reporters they are seeing a steady parade of damaged rims, shredded tires and bent suspension parts after drivers slam into deep craters. Some garages in the Bronx and on Long Island described a week-to-week uptick in pricey pothole repair jobs.
Journalists and DOT officials alike point to two heavy snowfalls followed by repeated freeze-and-thaw cycles as a key culprit this year. Those familiar winter patterns have shown up again in local coverage and in recent service-request trends highlighted by News 12, which reported drivers getting hit with repair bills that climb into the thousands.
How to report and seek reimbursement
If you spot a pothole, city officials urge you to report it through NYC 311 so DOT can triage it and dispatch a crew. If your vehicle gets damaged, the Office of the New York City Comptroller recommends taking photos of the scene and the damage, saving your repair receipts and filing a notice of claim, generally within 90 days of the incident, through the Comptroller’s online claims portal. The Comptroller’s filing FAQs explain the timing rules and required forms.
The Comptroller has also warned about the cost of bad pavement in past ClaimStat reports, which documented millions of dollars paid out for roadway and pothole-related claims and described how defective roadways carved a 138 million dollar hole in the city’s budget over six years. Those figures underline how every unfixed crater hits not just wheels and axles but taxpayers too (Comptroller, Comptroller).
DOT says crews are working borough by borough to stay ahead of the worst trouble spots and that lasting relief will require more targeted repaving and, in some corridors, full street reconstruction. Until that happens, drivers are urged to keep reporting the worst holes, document any damage and hang on to repair invoices if they plan to try their luck with the city’s claims process.
