Armed with a truckload of the steaming hot, tar-like patch, Toledo’s Jeff Viertlbeck helped transform a busy West Toledo roadway back into a passable street Wednesday.

“It will last about a year,” Mr. Viertlbeck, a senior utility worker for the city, said of the hot patch mix he and his crew used to fill potholes on Kenwood Boulevard east of Douglas Road.

He was among nearly three dozen city workers on the streets Wednesday starting a three-day blitz to catch up on a backlog of pothole complaints.

Toledo’s streets do not have more potholes than usual for this time of year, but for some reason there was “a recent uptick in complaints,” said David Welch, commissioner of the streets, bridges, and harbor division.

There were 700 outstanding pothole complaints at the start of the week called in, emailed, or logged via two smart-phone apps people can use to report potholes, Mr. Welch said.

“So, to catch up, we have extra crews out working — 10 to 12 crews of three people each, working 10-hour days,” he said.

That is double the normal complement of city workers on the streets filling holes, he said.

“It will not be an added expense,” Mr. Welch said. “We had a light winter so we haven't had as many potholes, but all of a sudden we had an increase in complaints.”

Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson’s administration released a statement asking people to report pothole locations.

“A dramatic jump in the number of pothole complaints now logged into CityWorks,” the city’s public service software, according to a written statement by the administration.

Crews started work Wednesday in the ZIP codes with the highest number of complaints, starting with 43614, 43606, and 43613, and then plan to move into 43609, 43612, 43623, and 43607, followed by the remaining ZIP codes in the city.

The list of priority ZIP codes does not include 43605, which includes all of East Toledo.

Those wishing to report potholes may call the city's “Engage Toledo” program, formerly Call City Hall, at 419-936-2020. People may also file online requests through the Engage Toledo page on the city of Toledo website, toledo.oh.gov/​engage-toledo or by downloading the Engage Toledo smart-phone application.

City spokesman Janet Schroeder said the “Engage Toledo” app was rebranded in October, 2015, from the SeeClickFix application that was purchased during the Collins administration.

Ms. Schroeder said the SeeClickFix app cost $12,000 per year and “the rebranding” added $4,000 more to the cost. However, Mayor D. Michael Collins in September, 2014, said the SeeClick Fix app cost to Toledo taxpayers was $16,000. Ms. Schroeder did not respond Wednesday to questions about the cost discrepancy for taxpayers.

City crews have filled an estimated 23,544 potholes this year, according to an April 22 city public services report. That number is based on how much asphalt is used, not on the actual number of holes filled, Mr. Welch said.

The city also has $700,000 allocated for its mill-and-fill program.

City Council passed the budget on a 10-2 vote March 29 after Mayor Hicks-Hudson revised the document to allocate that amount to street repaving and repair.

The money will pay for about 10 miles worth of “milling and filling” by the road repair crew, said Public Service Director Bill Franklin. 

The streets to be repaired have still not been determined, city officials said.

Contact Ignazio Messina at: imessina@theblade.com or 419-724-6171 or on Twitter @IgnazioMessina.

First Published April 28, 2016, 4:00 a.m.