Portland’s Pothole Graffiti Gets Fast Fix — But Officials Warn Against Copycats

Portland’s Pothole Graffiti Gets Fast Fix — But Officials Warn Against Copycats

PORTLAND, Ore. — A pair of particularly obnoxious potholes on Northeast 21st Avenue got swift attention from city crews over the weekend — but not for reasons the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) hopes to encourage.

The potholes, located near NE Multnomah Street, were the subject of an unusual form of protest: crude graffiti. Guerrilla artists spray-painted graphic, phallic images around the potholes, drawing plenty of online buzz and laughs from Reddit users and residents with a view from nearby apartment buildings.

By Monday afternoon, the potholes had been patched and the graffiti scrubbed away — a rare turnaround time that even city officials admitted was accelerated by the shocking artwork.

City Responds to Graffiti Protest

“Yes, the potholes were prioritized because of the graphic drawings,” confirmed Hannah Schafer, PBOT’s communications director. But she also issued a clear warning: “Please don’t draw on the potholes.”

While some residents may see humor or even creativity in using provocative imagery to prompt city action, PBOT insists that graffiti on public roads is not a solution. Schafer explained that graffiti cleanup adds extra steps for city crews and takes time away from regular street maintenance.

Standard Protocol Still in Place

PBOT aims to fill reported potholes within 30 days, according to Schafer. In 2024 alone, the department’s crews filled over 15,000 potholes across Portland — a number that continues to rise due to weather-related damage and wear from increased traffic.

While the recent drawings clearly accelerated action on Northeast 21st Avenue, Schafer said the department doesn’t want this to become a “trend.”

“Adding more work for our crews by painting on the streets is not helpful,” she said.

How to Report Potholes the Right Way

Instead of resorting to graffiti or viral tactics, Portlanders are encouraged to report potholes directly to the city using proper channels:

These reports are logged into PBOT’s system and added to the repair schedule — often addressing the issue much faster than residents may expect, even without public stunts.

A Cautionary Tale in Civic Frustration

While some social media users hailed the graffiti as a clever form of civil disobedience, city officials hope the public takes away a different message. The pothole art did get the city’s attention — but at the cost of time, labor, and resources that could have been used elsewhere.

Still, for some neighbors who had been frustrated by the large, lingering road damage, the weekend’s events were a reminder that potholes — no matter how they’re highlighted — shouldn’t take months to address.

“It shouldn’t take spray paint to fix our roads,” one resident commented online.

For now, the potholes are patched, the drawings are gone, and PBOT hopes the next public outcry sticks to standard reporting tools — not sidewalk murals.


Want to report a pothole in Portland? Visit www.pdxreporter.org or dial 311. Let’s keep streets safe — and clean.

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