MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The city is now using a new approach to battle potholes, one that lets them keep working even during wet weather.
Instead of waiting for the weather to clear, crews are getting ahead of the game by bringing out these trucks that actually suck the water out of the potholes, so they can go ahead and fill them now.
Mayor A C Wharton made light of the city’s pothole problems this morning. “Hopefully you dodged all the potholes,” he told a crowd at City Hall. “That deserves a boo!”
But not everyone found the comment to be funny. “There are so many potholes in Whitehaven; I just tore my truck up,” one driver said.
Jokes aside, Director of Public Works Dwan Gilliom said crews are working hard, even through the rain, to repair the roads. “You can’t do anything about the weather. So, we just have to try and work around the weather. That is what we’re doing by coming up with creative means to repair these potholes as soon as possible.”
Some, like driver Daniel Henry, said even that is not enough. “They talk about getting a new machine, a new pothole machine. For what? You’re spending all that money to get a new truck. Instead, just resurface the roads. Do new construction. It would look better.”
Crews told WREG repaving is much more expensive than just repairing potholes, but some stretches of road are so bad they will eventually have to be resurfaced.
In the meantime, Gilliom said he wants to make it easier for those whose cars are damaged by potholes to get reimbursed. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m going to meet with the city attorney’s office to see if he’s willing to circumvent parts of the claims process, so we can get some of these claims resolved as soon as possible,” Gilliom said.
To report a pothole to the city, call 636-6500.