The City of Greater Geelong will dedicate additional resources to identifying and repairing potholes across its local road network throughout November, taking advantage of favourable weather conditions to step up repairs ahead of summer.
Operation Pothole will see our inspection team prioritise identifying potholes and road defects, while our broader maintenance workforce increases its focus on road repairs alongside usual duties, including sign installation and infrastructure maintenance.
The targeted initiative builds on our year-round road maintenance program, which includes three grader crews, three dedicated pothole trucks and two patching trucks as well as inspectors proactively checking roads and responding to community reports.
The City is also using artificial intelligence and smart camera technology mounted on operational vehicles to help identify potholes and road defects, providing crews with another tool to detect issues earlier and fast-track repairs.
The City repaired 9,475 potholes during the 2025-26 financial year across its extensive road network of more than 2,040 kilometres of sealed streets and around 330 kilometres of unsealed roads.
Greater Geelong Mayor Stretch Kontelj OAM
We know potholes are frustrating. Our community deserves safe, well-maintained roads.
Greater Geelong is growing, with more cars, heavier vehicles and more trucks using our roads. That puts increasing pressure on our road network and contributes to wear and tear.
That’s why we’re dedicating extra resources and stepping up efforts to find and fix potholes before the busy summer season gets underway.
Rain is a major contributor to potholes. Water seeps through small holes and cracks in asphalt, weakening the underlying road foundation. Traffic travelling over wet roads can force more water into these cracks, accelerating damage and creating potholes.
Identifying and repairing defects early can help prevent further deterioration and reduce the need for more extensive and costly repairs.
Deputy Mayor Eddy Kontelj
Our teams repaired almost 9,500 potholes last financial year. That’s a significant achievement and reflects the commitment of our staff who work every day to maintain our local road network.
Operation Pothole is about raising the bar even further. We want to be more proactive, identify problems earlier, make better use of technology and address defects before they become bigger and more expensive problems.
It’s also important that our community understands the distinction between Council roads, which we are responsible for, and state government roads, which we are not.
Residents should direct concerns about these state government roads to the Department of Transport and Planning.
For a full list of state government-managed roads in Greater Geelong, visit: Roads and responsible authorities
Residents can report potholes and road damage on City-managed roads by:
