'Pothole Vigilantes' are covertly fixing Oakland roads in the middle of the night

The "Pothole Vigilantes" shared photos of potholes they've patched up in Oakland in recent weeks. The "Pothole Vigilantes" shared photos of potholes they've patched up in Oakland in recent weeks. Photo: Pothole Vigilantes Photo: Pothole Vigilantes Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close 'Pothole Vigilantes' are covertly fixing Oakland roads in the middle of the night 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

We don't need to remind Oakland drivers their streets are some of the worst in the country, costing locals an extra $1,049 a year in car maintenance on average.

The problem has prompted two Oakland residents to go rogue, pulling off covert missions to patch potholes in the middle of the night. They've dubbed themselves the "Pothole Vigilantes" and show off their work on an Instagram page by the same name.

From the looks of their social media activity, their "vigilantism" is pretty new; the first post is from April 21. So far they've tackled potholes at Moss Avenue and Harrison Street, Perkins Street and Van Buren Avenue and the Oakland Avenue offramp coming off I-580 — all in the Adams Point and Grand Lake neighborhoods north of Lake Merritt.

The Pothole Vigilantes are soliciting suggestions (and, unsurprisingly, donations) from locals who want problem spots patched up. The duo shared pictures of their work so far with SFGate, but declined to be identified on the record.

When asked about the unauthorized roadwork, Oakland Public Works empathized with the problem at hand, but made it clear that Oakland residents shouldn't be taking to the streets to themselves.

"This kind of activity tells us what we often hear from our community: They are frustrated and fed up with the pavement condition in their neighborhood," said Sean Maher, a spokesperson for the department. "We can't recommend anyone do this work themselves, not least because it raises safety issues while people are working in the streets."

Maher made a plea for patience, saying more resources to fix roads are on the way. The city council is set to vote on a $100 million plan to repave streets over the next three years. The money would come from Measure KK, approved by voters in 2016.

Just last year, the city also launched the OAK 311 program, which they say makes it easier to report problems and request maintenance around Oakland.

"We are launching OAK 311 to make ourselves easier to reach for every Oaklander who needs a pothole patched or a pile of dumped trash removed from their sidewalk," mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement.

The city asks you report any potholes by calling 311, emailing OAK311@oaklandnet.com, or using the OAK 311 smartphone app.

"With finite resources the City cannot always respond immediately to every request – but every complaint is tracked, and the more data City leaders have about where residents' issues are located, the better they can organize City resources to tackle long-term issues," says a press release by Oakland Public Works.

For those who feel like they're not getting through, the city asks you keep trying and report problems multiple times. Unless the vigilantes get to it first, that is.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com.

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