Transportation Officials: When It Comes To Potholes, A Warm Winter Is Just As Tough On Cars
CLIFTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- This season's mild winter is causing a pothole problem across the Tri-State Area.
Drivers who spoke to CBS2's Kevin Rincon on Wednesday said it's starting to cost them a lot of money in repairs.
That all too familiar sound is plaguing drivers just about everywhere.
"There are potholes all over the place," said Darlene Nieves of Clifton.
"You'll be behind a car and you'll just run right into [a pothole] without even seeing it, and then you get a flat tire," added Leah Cantor of Secaucus.
And when that happens, that's when someone like Carlos Orellana steps in. He's a mechanic at Three Brothers Auto Repair in East Rutherford.
"I would say there's an uptick, definitely a lot of tires," Orellana said. "I had one earlier today. He was asking about warranty info on a tire he just purchased this year."
FLASHBACK: CBS2's Pothole Patrol Found NYC's Worst Street Craters, Now The City Is On The Clock To Fix Them
New Jersey's Department of Transportation said it repaired more than 34,000 potholes last month, up from 20,000 in January of last year despite the lack of snow. The rain, freezing, and thaw causes potholes, so, actually, the milder weather may in some cases make things worse. And for every pothole that's out there, eventually seeing heavy equipment arriving at the scene to make repairs is inevitable.
"This milling attachment, you see the teeth spinning, will grind the asphalt. It's going to create a clean, crisp edge," said Steve Rich, the owner of Holes Infrastructure out of Clifton
Rich said he has been making road repairs for 40 years.
"If it stayed extremely cold all the way through, we most likely would not have potholes," Rich said.
Transportation officials told CBS2 they'll be out making repairs right through early spring.