Break in the rain gives Caltrans crews a chance to repair storm-damaged roads
DUBLIN -- With the Bay Area finally starting to dry out Wednesday after a string of storms, road crews were taking advantage of the sunshine to patch some pot holes caused by the wet weather.
There were more than a dozen Caltrans crews out on the freeways, filling potholes which have been plaguing drivers over the past few days.
Tim Nuss and his family own RT Tires in Dublin. He says they're seeing an increase in cars coming in with blown tires due to problems on the roads caused by the rain.
That is exactly what happened to Victoria Torrey.
"We're driving on the Benicia Bridge and all of a sudden the tire went out; on the freeway, raining. It was horrible," Torrey explained as she waited at the tire shop.
She brought her SUV to RT Tires where Nuss told her there was no way to patch the flat. She had to get a new tire.
"The potholes -- and the way that the streets are -- are horrendous. They're so many that need to be fixed," Torrey said.
In January, Caltrans said it filled 7,325 pot holes across the seven Bay Area counties. Among those that were repaired was a pothole on northbound Interstate 680 just before Highway 4. On Tuesday morning, it opened again and flattened tires on more than a dozen cars.
"I was just following the guy in front me and Boom! Cars just keep coming in with flats, same thing," said one driver who was pulled over on the shoulder of the freeway with a flat.
Nuss says right after it rains, business at RT Tires jumps by more than 30% with all the required repairs. But it isn't just potholes that cause problems.
"Just nails and screws and trash and junk that gets washed up onto the road from the rain," said Nuss.
If your car was damaged by a pothole on the freeway, drivers can apply for reimbursement for repairs through the Caltrans website.