Bay Area Work Crews Busy Fixing Potholes Created by Recent Rains
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- The recent rains might be good for Bay Area reservoirs, but the heavier precipitation is also leading to an increase in problems on local roads in dire need of repairs.
Potholes are becoming a familiar hazard on roadways around the region, a drivers who aren't careful might find themselves facing surprise trip to the body shop.
"The road conditions are horrible. I commute everyday, all over the Bay Area," said driver Rick Staples.
Bay Area drivers' eyes, tires and backs aren't lying; the number of potholes has increased drastically due to recent storms.
"It is a really thing to have rain in California, but unfortunately there is this side effect with which no one is very pleased. And this time of year, our maintenance teams at Caltrans are on the lookout for potholes," said CalTrans spokesperson Janis Mara.
The agency had 238 requests to fill potholes on Bay Area freeways last month.
At the San Francisco Department of Public Works, the number of pothole patrol crews has been doubled from two to four with a goal of getting complaints about the suspension killers filled in 72 hours.
"On a normal week, we might have about 100 potholes. After the rain last week, we had close to 200. This week we've had about 360-70 and we're going to do the count again going forward, so it really has ramped up," said SFDPW spokesperson Rachel Gordon.
Pavement is one of those areas where technology hasn't drastically changed since its inception. The design flaw is simple -- a crack in the asphalt plus some water can eat a hole in the driving surface from the inside out.
Just ask KPIX 5 reporter Da Lin, who had to shell out $400 for a new tire in Oakland Thursday after hitting a pothole.