Click to enlargeThe Chicago Department of Transportation is off to an early start on resurfacing city streets.

Crews have begun “milling,” or grinding the surface of some streets, and new asphalt will follow later this week.

According to a press release from CDOT, the number of potholes reported so far in 2016 is down 30 percent from last year.

“We’re seeing fewer potholes in our streets this winter, and this means we can turn our attention earlier in the season from patching to paving, giving Chicagoans in every neighborhood the quality of life they deserve,” CDOT Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld said in a press release.

Warmer temperatures also allows asphalt plants to begin producing the hot asphalt that's used to resurface neighborhood roads.

The city has identified the first 55 miles of arterial streets to be paved this year.