Potholes Giving Motorists More Than Headaches

May showers have potholes in bloom. Steady rain and heavy traffic have turned several Tulsa roads into a minefield of potholes. News On 6 anchor Omar Villafranca reports ODOT says they're fixing the

Thursday, May 10th 2007, 8:38 pm

By: News On 6

May showers have potholes in bloom. Steady rain and heavy traffic have turned several Tulsa roads into a minefield of potholes. News On 6 anchor Omar Villafranca reports ODOT says they're fixing the roads, but we spoke to a woman Thursday who says potholes have put her in a financial hole.

"What did it sound like when you went over?â€ asked News On 6 anchor Omar Villafranca.

â€œBOOM! It popped. And then my signal light automatically said tire pressure," said Tulsa driver Vercillia Jones.

A deep pothole on the Broken Arrow expressway bent two of Vercillia Jonesâ€™ rims and popped her tires. The bump in the road put a dent in her wallet. She's out $1,000 in repairs, and she is not alone. At David's Custom Wheels, the rain brought a flood of customers, all due to the potholes.

"It's getting bad out there. You've got to be careful," said David Jones Of Davidâ€™s Custom Wheels.

Martin Stewart with ODOT says his crews are working day and night.

"We're filling sometimes in the last few days here,â€ said Stewart. â€œWe've been filling them actually in the rain."

Stewart says the rain doesn't allow the mix thrown into potholes to properly work, making more potholes and work for his crews.

"If the hole is not properly cleaned or dried, sometimes it doesn't hold and it comes back out, but when it comes back out, it doesn't come back out in a rock form. It comes out in pebbles," said Stewart.

Vercillia Jones says she's seen ODOT crews working, but she thinks the state is cutting corners when filling the holes. Stewart says the state crews are working as fast as they can and using the best materials on the market. But as a tax paying citizen, Vercillia Jonesâ€™ patience is wearing thin.

â€œWeâ€™re paying tax dollars for them to fix these highways correctly, not to go the cheap route out," she said.

ODOT says they don't set a priority on which potholes get fixed first. Stewart says when the rain stops, they'll be able to work faster. He also asked that all drivers be patient.

Watch the video: Drivers Getting Weary Of Growing Pothole Problem