ORTLAND, Ore (KOIN) — Dania Binns recently had a driving experience we’ve all had. She hit a pothole.
“I remember hitting one it was actually pretty deep and I thought that I was going to go around it and it went CHUNK! And the next thing I know my whole car was wobbling after that,” she said.
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Potholes are virtually impossible to prevent once Spring rolls around. The asphalt expands and contracts during the wet weather and varied temperatures. But, as a driver, what can you do about it?
“Anyone who sees a pothole should call, first of all, if it’s a city street (call) your local city government,” said ODOT spokesperson Don Hamilton. “City Hall should be able to take care of it. Any pothole that you see on one of the major roads, on one of the Interstates or the Sunset Highway you should call 888-ASK-ODOT. They will direct it to the right team that needs to address that problem.”
ODOT is taking a proactive approach to an otherwise reactive problem.
“We are on the look out for them all the time,” he said. “They develop without there being warm weather. We have to look at them. Potholes are really just a part of every day life.”
Regardless of your vehicle — small car, pickup, SUV, truck — potholes are going to get you at some point.
“Most of the time I can avoid them. But sometimes you can’t,” driver David Sanders told KOIN 6 News. “It depends on where in the road they’re at.”
Filed under: Civic Affairs, Editor's Pick, Multnomah County, Oregon, Portland
