Spokane Valley launches app that lets you report potholes (and other concerns) from your phone

Spokane Valley residents no longer have an excuse to feel like they're screaming into the void when it comes to potholes.

Now, when they see a pothole, they can take out their phones, open up an app and send a message directly to the city.

Spokane Valley launched an app this week called SVexpress. It allows residents to report a street problem — a pothole, a downed road sign, flooding or anything else — on their phones. It automatically is directed to the correct city department, which will see the request and respond appropriately.

"This service allows us to partner with our community to keep our city safe and clear," says City Manager Mark Calhoun in a statement.

See a sign that's vandalized? A broken sprinkler? Go ahead and report it.

"This will help the city respond more quickly and effectively," Calhoun says.

Residents only need to put in the physical location of the problem and describe it. You can upload a photo if you want. Citizens can make requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Spokane Valley certainly isn't the first city that lets residents report street problems online. The city of Spokane has a pothole hotline, 625-7733, or online at spokanecity.org. Spokane Valley had a previous system as well, but it didn't have the mapping and the ability to auto-assign the request to the correct department like the new system does, says Spokane Valley spokeswoman Annie Gannon.

Gannon says the city has been working on launching the app since the start of the year. In July, the city did a soft launch to get the bugs worked out.

To download, find the SVexpress app on Apple or Google Play stores. Or, to submit an issue online, visit spokanevalley.org/311.