Photo by philliefan99

Either the District Department of Transportation has become more industrious, or the roads around town really were that chopped up. The District hit the halfway point in its annual “Potholepalooza” effort, a monthlong campaign in which DDOT crews are said to respond to pothole filling requests 33 percent faster than usual. (Within 48 hours, as opposed to the typical estimate of 72 hours.)

And through two weeks, this year’s Potholepalooza has already cobbled up more shoddy asphalt than the entirety of last year’s run, according to DDOT. The agency said in a news release last Friday that it patched up 2,447 potholes in the first 11 days of the current Potholepalooza; it repaired 2,443 in the 2012 edition.

The accelerated pothole work is scheduled to last through May 22. DDOT is taking requests through email, Twitter, and the city’s 311 hotline. The program was launched in 2009, under then-DDOT head Gabe Klein, who has since hatched it in Chicago.