Metro auto shops slammed with pothole repairs
MINNEAPOLIS -- Whether you're swerving or slowing, some potholes in the Twin Cities Metro can feel unavoidable. In the land of 10,000 potholes, the problem seems to be getting worse as the freeze-and-thaw cycle continues.
"I drive a 4X4 truck and I don't think I would drive anything smaller living in this city because of these issues," Uptown resident Rich Harrison said.
In Bloomington, Jen Watson shared a photo of a large crater in her road. She said the city of Bloomington came out to block it off to traffic shortly after she reported it.
"Potholes are a huge problem and there's going to be a lot of cars in the shops," Harrison said.
Firestone Area Manager Shawn Bona says March and April are typically the busiest months for pothole damage.
"We are right at the peak right now of that freeze-thaw cycle where there's liquid precipitation making its way in the pavement then freezing at night breaking the pavement causing a pothole," Bona said.
At any given location he says the team is receiving five to 10 calls about damage daily. Depending on the vehicle, it can be a pricy repair.
"If it's just a tire it may be only a couple hundred dollars. Often times it's a tire and a wheel and depending on the vehicle that could be almost as much as $1,200," he said.
While some damage is obvious, Bona says hitting a pothole could create hidden problems down the road.
"Your steering wheel might be off-centered, you might develop a shake, the best thing to do is go to an auto service center and get a vehicle inspection done," he said.
If your car does end up in the shop, drivers can file a claim in the Twin Cities with forms online.
If you damage your car on a state highway, you have 180 days to file a claim. MnDOT says in order to have a valid claim, it has to know about the pothole and have a reasonable amount of time to fix it. If there's negligence on MnDOT's end, it could be liable.
Here's where to report a pothole in Minneapolis and St. Paul and with the state. And here's the claim information for Minneapolis, St. Paul and MnDOT.
