City of Seattle works to fix pothole problems
Feb 16, 2019, 9:16 AM
Patrick McQuaid owns Island Detail in Seattle.
The potholes caused by snow are creating a huge headache for drivers, especially on East Marginal Way South.
“If you’re trapped in this lane when you go across here, you’re stuck,” said George Thomas, who is getting his brand new Mercedes repaired after running over a pothole. “You have nowhere to go.”
Danny Higgins and Thomas know what can happen if your car hits one of the potholes.
“(I was) coming down East Marginal Way, hit a big chuckhole and (it) took a chunk out of my rim on the left front of my car,” Higgins said.
The same thing happened to Thomas when he was driving to work.
“It hit my rim on both sides of the passenger side and I thought it was good,” Thomas said. “Then the air gauge came on and I started losing air really fast, so I pulled over (as quickly as possible). Once I pulled over, I had to call a tow truck.”
Crews patched up the potholes Friday, but Thomas said that’s just not enough.
“These cars are constantly tearing it up so it doesn’t last long,” Thomas said. “It’s a quick fix.”
Patrick McQuaid, who owns Island Detail in Seattle, knows the problem well.
He sees the damage first hand at his shop.
“(I have seen) chuckholes all over the place (in Seattle),” McQuaid said. “I just saw them this morning after dropping a client off on my way here. (The) next thing you know, you hit one (of those potholes), you get a bent rim and there goes $250-300 bucks.”
KIRO 7 spoke to the Seattle Department of Transportation to find out what the city is doing about the potholes.
“Normally, we strive to get them done within three days after being reported,” SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson said. “If this happens to you, and you believe the city is at fault, it’s possible to file a claim online. We’ll get back to you pretty quickly with an investigation to determine who is at fault.”
As SDOT works on fixing the problem of all of these potholes, Higgins has some advice for those in charge of making that happen.
“Check them more often and do something about them (potholes) when they see it,” Higgins said.
By David Solano, KIRO 7
