Dodging potholes on Kansas City-area roads and highways? Here’s how to report them
As weather in the Kansas City area boomerangs between bitter cold and mild temperatures, you might feel like you’re dodging potholes left and right.
These craters can make your ride extra bumpy, or even pop your tire or ruin your suspension system.
The abundance of these potholes in Missouri and Kansas has inspired a variety of memes — like one showing the entirety of the Kansas City skyline sitting comfortably in a pothole.
Kansas City-area residents can help get their neighborhood potholes fixed by reporting them to the state or local government. Here are the benefits of reporting a road hazard and where you should submit it.
How do potholes form?
Drivers tend to notice potholes after a cold spell or in the spring, according to AAA. That is because potholes form when ground water repeatedly melts and freezes in asphalt, causing the road to crack. When cars roll over this weakened spot, they can move pieces of the pavement, creating the craters.
What should I know before reporting a pothole?
If you’re always dodging potholes on your regular routes, it could pay for you to report them. In some areas, if your car gets damaged by a pothole, you might be able to submit a claim for the government to reimburse you, but only if the problem was previously reported.
Many municipalities give you the option to report the potholes anonymously or provide your contact information to receive updates.
Take note of the location – including direction and lane – and approximate size of the pothole to report to your local agency.
Who do I report a pothole to?
Getting your request to the right place can be a challenge, as city, county and state agencies all maintain roads in the Kansas City area.
For highways — like Interstate 35 or U.S. Highway 71 — contact the state transportation agency where the pothole is located. For roads, check if the pothole is located within the limits of a city. If so, report it to that city’s government. If not, contact that county.
Here is information on how to report potholes for roads in the most populous cities in the Kansas City area:
Report potholes in Missouri municipalities
- Kansas City: Call 311 or report the pothole in the myKCMO app. On the city’s website, you can see which streets are expected to get resurfaced.
- Independence: Call the city’s pothole line at 816-325-7624 or submit a report on IndepNow.
- Lee’s Summit: Call the public works department at 816-969-1800 or submit a report on LS Connect.
Report potholes in Kansas municipalities
- Overland Park: Call the public works department at 913-327-6600 or submit a report on the OP Cares website.
- Kansas City: Call 311 or submit a report on the myWyco website.
- Olathe: Call the city’s pothole hotline at 913-971-6037 or submit a report on the OlatheConnect website, which is expected to be back up by the end of January
Report potholes on Kansas City-area county roads
- Jackson County: Submit a road maintenance request on the Jackson County website.
- Clay County Report a concern on the Clay County website.
- Johnson County: Call the County’s public works department at 913-715-8300 or submit a service request on the Johnson County website.
- Wyandotte County: Call 311 or submit a report on the myWyco website.
Report potholes on Missouri highways
You can submit a report on the Missouri Department of Transportation website.
Report potholes on Kansas highways
You can submit a report on the Kansas Department of Transportation website.
Do you have more questions about roads in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
