City Launches 'Report A Problem' Link to Report Issues with Lights, Potholes, Roads

CITY LAUNCHES ‘REPORT A PROBLEM’ LINK

TO REPORT ISSUES WITH LIGHTS, POTHOLES, ROADS

**City officials praise public’s help in reporting

potholes & 450 ‘issues’ with street lights in 2022

RAPID CITY, SD—The City’s Public Works Department has launched a new “Report A Problem” link to the City’s website, providing an opportunity for the public to report road or street-related issues they encounter.

            The link: https://bit.ly/RapidCityLightsAndPotholes is an easy access point for the public to report non-emergency issues such as non-working street lights, potholes, traffic signs or signals that need attention, and other issues related to roads or streets.  The link invites the visitor to complete an online form describing the concern, the location of the problem, when the problem was noticed and contact information. The form can also be accessed at the City’s website rcgov.org by clicking on the ‘Government’ tab and then clicking on City Online Forms for the ‘Non-Emergency Traffic Safety Concern’ entry.

           The public can also call the Traffic Operations Division at 605-394-4118.

           City Public Works Executive Coordinator Shannon Truax says the public has provided great assistance to the city on reporting issues in the past, utilizing the City’s Pothole Hotline and contacting the City’s Traffic Division about non-working street lights.

          “This new link will provide the public and the City with a new tool to work together in addressing issues in a quicker and more efficient manner,” Truax said.

          Truax said the public answered the City’s call for assistance two years ago and has made hundreds of calls regarding non-working street lights. The public also utilizes the City’s Pothole Hotline to report road issues.

           “We really appreciate the public’s response and continued communication with the City on reporting issues they see with street lights, potholes and other issues,” said Truax. “Our crews can’t be everywhere at all times and this is a clear case of the public serving an important mission, as a collective second set of eyes to help us in keeping our streets and neighborhoods lit and getting issues with our roads and traffic lights addressed.”

STREET LIGHTS

          Since May 2021 when the City first called for the public’s help in reporting issues with street lights, more than 750 calls have been received by the City’s Traffic Operations Division, including more than 450 calls in 2022.

          Most of the citizen calls involved street light outages or malfunctions.

          “Some of the callers indicate they’ve noticed a problem for days or weeks.  If they see a problem, call the City and our crews can get it checked out and addressed right away,” said Truax, noting a malfunctioning or inoperative street light can have a safety impact in the affected area.

          Callers should provide a close or exact location of the street light.  Truax says the light poles display a four or five-digit number a few feet off the ground.  The pole number or the block of the street with the malfunctioning light will allow for a more immediate response from City crews. 

POTHOLES

          Truax said the public can use the new “Report A Problem” link to share information about potholes.  For several years, the public has accessed the Pothole Hotline at 605-394-4152 to report thousands of pothole locations.  Last year, Truax said City Street Division crews repaired more than 3,000 potholes, many called in by residents.

           For both non-working street lights and potholes, Truax said once a call is received from the public, a crew member is sent to the affected area, often within a day, to assess the concern and begin corrective action.