Potholes and cracked pavements are found all over Louisiana, especially in New Orleans. Many potholes were caused by Hurricane Katrina which is notoriously known for wrecking our entire city. Houses, cars, and roadways were all destroyed during the flood. Fourteen years later, we are still suffering from the storm. Jeff Adelson from The Advocate reports that "the average condition of all roads in the city rates less than forty-three on a scale of one-hundred, and nearly two-thirds of the streets are in worse condition". Poor street conditions increase commute times as well as pose a threat to other cars in the city. Forty-seven percent of the roads in New Orleans are poorly ranked.  Potholes can harm vehicles by causing flat tires, weakening rims, and damaging the car's body. Not only do they create danger for vehicles, but potholes also put drivers at risk of injury. According to "The Pothole Facts", potholes are responsible for billions of dollars in vehicle damages and "a large portion of highway deaths". Many accidents and injuries could have been avoided if the potholes were filled. Potholes are also responsible for personal injury lawsuits that have the potential to become "very expensive for public and private property owners".

Fortunately, there are several solutions to fix this issue. One solution is to fill up each crater with gravel or sand. However, this solution is only temporary. Certain aspects determine how long the pothole will remain covered. For example, the weather can affect the longevity of the filled pothole. Large amounts of water, a common occurrence in New Orleans, can wash away the gravel or sand, thus reintroducing the driving hazard. To fix this issue, concrete can be used instead of gravel and sand to patch up each hole. Even though this may seem like a simple fix, it is actually quite difficult to manage. In most cities, particularly New Orleans, the local government requests for its citizens to fix the potholes themselves unless the potholes are caused by utility, cable, or water lines that run beneath the road. In that case, the city will pay for it to be fixed. Unfortunately, it takes time for each request for a pothole to be filled to be processed. After the pothole is reported, a customer service agent is in charge of recording the reported pothole's location and issuing the reporter a ticket. Then, that same customer service agent would have to send that ticket to the Department of Public Works' Maintenance Division to evaluate and address. If it is caused by something else, the Department of Public Works, or DPW, will "refer it to another agency" to be properly taken care of.

Currently, potholes are one of the most common and dangerous roadblocks found in major roadways of New Orleans. If all potholes were filled, the number of car accidents and car accident-related injuries would significantly decrease. New Orleans citizens would not have to worry about swerving to avoid damage to their vehicles. This would decrease accidents and traffic in the city.  It would also save the citizens money. Additionally, commute times would decrease substantially. There would be less construction and roadwork on major roads, and this would allow people to save time on their way to their destination. Overall, potholes can be bothersome for most drivers, but if the right steps are taken to fill them, potholes can become a thing of the past.