MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Although drivers typically prefer to drive on newly paved streets, some of you have reached out to WREG with concerns that stem from it.

People say workers aren’t raising the manholes on Memphis streets to be the same level as the rest of street that has new pavement on it. This can have the same effect as driving over a pothole for your car.

“Whoever’s doing the blacktop isn’t adding onto the manhole cover,” said driver Bill Sharp.

Sharp says the city is neglecting to keep the manholes on the streets the same level as the pavement.

“It’s been like that everywhere,” said Sharp.

The concern is without a cover or ring on the now-lowered manhole, the dip creates a pothole feel, which can damage your car.

“It’s tearing the front end of our cars up, and also, I ride a motorcycle and it threw me out of control and I almost wrecked my cycle hitting one of them,” said John Adams, who lives in Frayser.

WREG also noticed drivers swerving away from them on newly paved streets in Frayser, which makes those drivers veer closer to oncoming lanes of traffic.

They might be more common than you think; just in the area of Overton Crossing that’s recently been paved near Pamela Drive, we spotted four on Wednesday.

Some are worse than others, but drivers worry having the manhole lower than the pavement can also weaken the pavement surrounding it, which could ultimately cost more money to come back and fix.

“I’d like to see the repairmen do the job right, we’re paying a lot of taxpayer dollars to have these streets paved and have them ruined right as they’re making them,” said Adams.

In response to inquiries about this story, a city of Memphis spokesperson said, “The manhole covers and rims are higher before the new asphalt surface goes down.”

An MLGW spokesperson has said in the past to contact MLGW if you wind up with damage from a manhole cover owned by them.