MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Frustration is mounting over potholes since the Tennessee Department of Transportation took over maintenance on state routes recently.
City crews claim they’ve patched more than 20,000 so far this year, but they maintain smaller streets, not many of the major thoroughfares in the city.
“Go down Elvis Presley. Go down Lamar. Go down Knight Arnold. They’re everywhere you go,” said driver Yosiah Morrow.
He and other drivers can’t seem to dodge the pesky potholes.
A list of the streets maintained by TDOT is below:
TDOT told us crews are frequently on those routes, but they aren’t keeping a running total of how many potholes they’ve patched.
They just say once they get a report, they aim to fix it within 24 to 48 hours.
TDOT also said the recent weather hasn’t helped their efforts because the material used to fill potholes doesn’t stick as well when conditions are cold and wet.
“A lot worse this year,” said Eric Goad, who is the shop manager at Barton’s Car Care in Midtown. “Potholes are eating tires. Eating them. Want me to show you?”
He showed WREG three tires damaged by potholes he replaced this morning.
“A car weighs a lot. When you hit a pothole, all that weight has to go somewhere,” he said.
Repairs can add up.
“Had to replace a rim and two tires and alignment on both,” said Morrow. “The tire was $125. The rim was $125. That was $250 [total] and alignment was $60.”
TDOT says drivers can file a claim and try to get some of their money back: http://treasury.tn.gov/Services/Claims-and-Risk-Management/TORT-Liability
If you want to report a pothole and are on a state route maintained by TDOT, call (901) 684-5467 or (731) 935-0205.
If you’re on a Memphis city road, call 311.