Minneapolis OKs extra $1 million to fight the pothole war

Look carefully. There's a bike messenger in there somewhere doing the backstroke.

​Rumor has it that Smart Cars have been swallowed whole by the potholes in post-Snowmageddon Minneapolis this spring. Axles are snapping like toothpicks. Dry cleaners are overwhelmed by flustered commuters dropping off power suits stained by bouncing lattes in their SUVs.

So thank god the Minneapolis City Council has just approved an extra million bucks for the pothole repair war. The money effectively doubles to eight the number of crews working on the roads for the next seven weeks.

We suspect it's going to take a lot longer than that to save our streets from their war-zone look and feel, but it's a start. No complaining here.

Road crews have tried to patch some of the worst areas temporarily up until now, but nighttime freezing has meant the efforts are limited at best. Serious, permanent repair work is scheduled to get going on April 5.

The city already has a pretty good grip on where the worst battlefields are in this campaign, but it's happy to hear reports from the front. So if you know are particularly treacherous stretch of surface street, click on this link, fill out the form, and hit send (or, call 311, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.). It's not often you get a chance to help spend a million dollars.