The transportation departments response: Get ready for more of the same. Despite a sizable investment in surface transportation, Washington state struggles mightily with fractured roads. In addition to denying 499 claims from 2014 through 2018, the city has rejected another 10 claims in 2019. Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks, North Carolina substations attack a 'wake-up call' in latest nationwide infrastructure threat, guidance from the insurance agencys website, 'All in on Africa's future': Biden announces trade, infrastructure investments in Africa, Richmonds little-known pothole claims policy makes getting damages covered difficult, Most Common Reason City of Omaha is Denying Pothole Claims, Your City Could Pay for Car Damage Caused by Potholes. The state is tackling the issuefor example, a $6.5 restoration project is about to get underway to rescue 7 miles of road in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Mayor Stothert says the potholes must be inside the city's boundaries and the city will not pay for potholes that lie on highways in Omaha such as I-80, I-480 or I-680. The city paid out on 56 such claims, for a total of $24,366, in the fiscal year ending June 30. File a police report. KPRC 2 Investigates: Here is how to get the city to pay for pothole damage Read our, Tips for City, County, or State Pothole Damage Reimbursement. The claims seem to fluctuate annually with the weather and the pothole crop, as few as 42 in 2017, as high as 168 in 2015. 2) Click on the green "Start a New Report" button at the bottom of the screen. The deadline to file is March 18. - Pothole complaints: 1 for every 1,000 km of road. Potholes - The City of San Antonio The section was at its worst in March, leading the City of Omaha to shut it down to rebuild the street, to the relief of neighbors. The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Thank you for supporting our journalism. After he pulled into a nearby parking lot, he could see two blown passenger-side tires. - Pothole complaints: 5.2 for every 1,000 km of road. Claims will be paid from the citys contingency fund. "We don't cause the potholes," Mayor Stothert said. 3 News Now emailed the city a list of several cases including some where the citys own database seemed to suggest it was aware of the potholes in areas for weeks. According to Consumer Affairs, the states overall pavement condition is relatively good, but sometimes statistics cant account for everythingcase in point, a 9-inch deep pothole that wreaked havoc on Route 9 traffic near Wilmington, Vermont. March 7, 2021. One in 7 Ohioans owes their living to agriculture, and as corn is a staple ingredient in not just food you find in the supermarket, but ethanol and the feed that powers the livestock industry as well, the state is a veritable topography of truck routes. Then, when the temperature drops again, the water refreezes and . Streets, Traffic and Drainage Maintenance | City of OKC The damage comes a few hundred to a few thousand dollars at a time occasionally more than $3,000 a pop. changed due to the pandemic? Of those, only seven resulted in a payout from the city. Claim for $255.73: Rejected. We did some scouting for you. One should be forgiving to Alaskans for pothole being a relative term. Claims have also been denied if the pothole had not been reported to the city previously or if the person filing the claim was not the owner of the vehicle. Were fighting against the elements right now, the weather causes the potholes and this time of year the weather prevents us from being able to fix them the best we can.. Im hoping that its just the tire thats an issue, but I mean it goes down into the ground several inches. A pothole was reported at the same intersection Paige Peterson hit her pothole nearly two weeks prior. Is there such a thing as a car-sized series of potholes? First, go to the p ublic works page to see if there's already a report on the pothole she hit. Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. But the damage would have to result from a specific collision, not repeated wear from potholes, according to the institute. Northbound lanes of 144th between Q and U Streets are closed due to potholes. - Pothole complaints: 5.1 for every 1,000 km of road. In fact, the city of Yakima, Washington, was recently found to be the absolutely worst city in America for potholes. Take a photo of the damage done to your vehicle. Bits of broken wheel cover in a pothole in the northbound lanes of 144th between Q and U Streets. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the claim for comment. This is the time of year we would expect potholes, weve got a lot of moisture out there, we still have some freeze-thaw conditions with cold overnight temperatures and warmer days, so that causes that thermal expansion, the water freezes it expands in there and stresses the pavement, Rowser says. By Friday, Stothert said the city had nearly 750 work orders ready. She figures she fixed all three for about $30. In 2017, 22,500 potholes were temporarily patched in Tacoma. 1. New York City will only accept liability for property damage if the city was given written notice of the hazard and failed to repair it within 15 days, according to the Comptrollers Office. . About one in eight pothole damage claims in the past three years have been paid by the city. Even so, the citys move to put pothole reports online shows it is receiving hundreds of notices about problem potholes specific potholes at locations identified on a map. . You may also like: 25 terms you should know to understand the health care debate, - Pothole complaints: 0.4 for every 1,000 km of road. All rights reserved. Slaughter managed the water system through the drought of 2011 and 2012, and oversaw planning for acquisition of additional water resources from southeast Oklahoma. In the event your vehicle is damaged by a pothole you can file a damage claim through the City Attorney's office. The staff is doing the best we can, he said, and I dont know any other way to do it.. 2. This is especially true in Texas. The city has been re-paving major roads since around 2019, which helps diminish the potholes. ", Michigan Legislature. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Most recently, 72nd street south of Dodge to Center street and I-80 has had panels of road replaced. Pothole season: How to report potholes, get reimbursed for car damage People have submitted more than 600 claims for payment of pothole damage costs to the city since Monday afternoon, Mayor Jean Stothert says. Monitor 794 signalized intersections. 3) Specify the location of the issue by clicking on the map, entering the address, or using . The Official Twitter of The Omaha News. While this is a staggering figure, it doesnt really punch its weight in terms of how degraded roadways affect the average person. The city won't pay up. If you happen to hit debris or a pothole and damage your . To that end, most Stacker stories are freely available to After you submit it, there will be an investigation. The citys complaint website will stop the city from claiming ignorance about potholes, he said. In one case, a local resident could sit right along one pothole edge like he was dangling his legs in a pool. Pothole damage to your vehicle can easily be extended. You may also like: Most and least popular governors in America, - Pothole complaints: 5.9 for every 1,000 km of road. Notate the nearest cross street. Its the freeze and thaw cycle. For Erickson, the whole process was confusing. 4. Get two or three repair estimates. Jeanne Levering is one driver whos frustrated. Sometimes, the damage sustained is a lower dollar amount than your deductible, which would make filing a claim irrelevant. First, snow and ice melt and seep into the pavement. In this state, there is a slightly ironic case of drivers perhaps protesting too little. Milder weather has returned, meaning potholes have returned. The remaining claims are being processed. John Schoettler, Amazon's real estate chief, confirmed the pause in a statement to Bloomberg News. 17 days later, Suann Witt hit a pothole 100 feet down the road from there. Weeks before Mayor Jean Stothert declared potholes a public safety priority, Maurice Bailey was driving down Saddle Creek Road when his Ford Mustang hit a pothole. We would like to show you a description here but the site won't allow us. Get at least two estimates from two different mechanics 3. I'm basically just permanently a left laner at this point until I have to turn. Ask the mechanic to confirm the cause of the damage in writing. 13-910(12). - Pothole complaints: 6.5 for every 1,000 km of road. The Alliance for Alabamas Infrastructure operates a Fix Our Roads initiative to encourage investment in the states road system. Repair requests can also be made through the mayors hotline. Richmond's little-known pothole claims policy makes getting damages - Pothole complaints: 3.8 for every 1,000 km of road. Updated: Jul 19, 2021 / 10:27 PM CDT. 2021, attack on the Capitol disclosed that many of Trump's top . A City of La Vista crew works to patch a stretch of 84th Street between Parkview Boulevard and Brentwood Drive. Northern Indiana roads regularly suffer both hard winters and persistent freight traffic between Chicago and Detroit, which combine to make for a perfect environment for potholes. Potholes start forming in winter and early spring temperatures change frequently. ", Great Plains Auto Body. If you have further questions, please call the Omaha Mayor's Hotline at 402-444-5555 or email: hotline@cityofomaha.org. The work is meant to hold over the street through winter. When a pothole complaint is made, Rowsers team typically fills it within five to seven days, but they prioritize major roads and intersections, or potholes that are extremely large or damaging. A few important things to know about potholes: To report a pothole go to the city's dedicated webpage, https://311.chicago.gov/, or simply call 311. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories Please give an overall site rating . What are we . Contact the Omaha Mayor's Hotline: 402-444-5555. After you hit a pothole, check your vehicle for signs of damage. A truck hits a pothole on northbound 144th Street just north of U Street. Pothole Repair. So yes, it's true drivers can get reimbursed (although not necessarily for the full amount). - Pothole complaints: 7.3 for every 1,000 km of road. distribution partner, email us at You may also like: Countries that have mandatory voting, - Pothole complaints: 1.1 for every 1,000 km of road. The Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Codeprevents the Texas Department of Transportation from using state funds to compensate drivers for damage that happened because of highway conditions, such as potholes, said department spokesperson Julien Devereux. The Omaha News The mayor of Vallejo, California, had to recently ask residents to stop taking it upon themselves to fix potholes in their community, claiming such pothole vigilantism presented a liability problem. In the vast majority of cases, being startled is the only damage you will incur if you go over a pothole. Potholes damage your vehicle? You could be compensated by the state - 13abc 68114 A City of La Vista crew works to patch a stretch of 84th Street between Parkview Boulevard and Brentwood Drive on Monday. A driverwhose vehiclewas damaged by potholes should first determine what jurisdiction is responsible for the road and then look into whether it has a compensation policy,State Farm spokesperson Heather Paul said. file a report and a claim with the city here. One of the top causes for this? Then the city received 1,320 repair requests in the first week of March, Mayor Jean Stothert reported last Monday. (KMTV) Mayor Jean Stothert announced Monday afternoon the city of Omaha will be paying for pothole claims on vehicles made against the city between January 1 and March 18 of 2019. Precision Scheduled Railroading Is Railroad Cost-Cutting Dangerous? OMAHA, Neb. To see the location of pothole complaints . For a state with a $4.5 billion budget surplus, one might ask, is there any excuse for Marylanders to be dealing with so many potholes? Follow. Murdoch says some Fox hosts 'endorsed' false election claims She damaged her car on 144th Street in Millard before the city closed down the particularly rough patch because the damage was so extensive. Plattsmouth breaks ground on new wastewater treatment facility. Rather, he was referring to the banana tree he planted inside one pothole outside his business. - Pothole complaints: 5 for every 1,000 km of road. That doesnt cut it, he said. Avenue One neighborhood set to be busier than Crossroads, bigger than Aksarben. Despite having the second-highest gas tax rate in the country, funds for which go toward infrastructure maintenance, Illinois just cant seem to get a handle on its pothole problem. As potholes proliferate and city hires outside help, less of that help arrives than the city expected. People may remember Jim Champion, known around Omaha as The Auto Guy from WOWT a few years ago. When I drive, all I do is look for potholes, she said. If you hit a bad one, you may need anything from a simple flat-tire fix to extensive wheel and suspension repairs. That was the argument the city successfully used to avoid paying a driver thousands of dollars worth of pothole damage inflicted on his vehicle . "I hit the pothole and it was pretty bad," said Nauslar. - Pothole complaints: 16.5 for every 1,000 km of road, Its like a bad joke: New Jersey has so many potholes How many? It has so many potholes that getting to the grocery store is like off-roading. The average additional cost to drivers in vehicle damage is referred to as a New Jersey pothole tax, but leaders are hopeful the new infrastructure bill will send enough road-saving dollars their way to cut that out of drivers lives, and hopefully, instead of bright orange traffic cones, help Jersey find a different state flower., You may also like: Former jobs of the governor of every state, - Pothole complaints: 18.4 for every 1,000 km of road. The pothole had to have been reported to the city prior to the incident. On top of that, 28 more claims from this year were pending. They are unsightly. WRIC-TV, July 20, 2021, Richmond's little-known pothole claims policy makes getting damages covered difficult KMTV, Aug. 13, 2019, Most Common Reason City of Omaha is Denying Pothole Claims A Papillion woman drove down 90th Street between Pacific Street and West Center Road and hit a huge chuck hole I couldnt miss. She wrote that she lived on Social Security and didnt have cash to fix her car. Despite the city's attempts to respond, it's still a mess. And they are a fact of life in Northeast Ohio, where a continuous freeze-thaw cycle through the winter and early spring compromises hard surfaces. Several communities, however, have been looking for alternatives to using saltin the hopes that they might see environmental improvementsnot to mention fewer potholes. If youre driving during the day and in conditions of high visibility, spotting and avoiding a pothole is easyif youre paying attention, and if the road is relatively empty. Honolulu's Potholes Cost Drivers -- And Taxpayers - Civil Beat If a pothole damaged your car on an Omaha city street, the mayor said she would pay for it, if it met some basic requirements. with 130 pothole claims filed with the city. It's easier to file damage claims in some states than in others. We want them to return home to their friends and family at the end of the day, too.. In other areas, drivers have reported potholes the size of swimming pools. Although it might be a long shot, the City of Omaha will sometimes help with the costs. City of Omaha trying to keep up with hundreds of potholes Not to be confused with the ecological benefits of prairie potholes, road deterioration is only slightly more of an issue in Montana than in some of the other Western states. The Clunker Junker gave this a shot back in October 2021 with some help . About one in every eight claims got paid between 2020 and 2022. The median settlement . Its very frustrating, like really frustrating.. The state will receive $2.6 billion over the next five years to address its aging and degraded roads and bridges. In January, Bailey filed a claim against the City of Omaha in hopes of getting reimbursed. The state also maintains what it calls a needs book, where data is broken down for every highway in the state in terms of its condition and maintenance profile. If you show proof you've filed a report with the city and have documentation of a repair bill or a tow receipt the city will write you a check for the amount the damage cost. By going back in time on omahahotline.com and back through a rough period of winter The World-Herald last week found pothole reports dating to Valentines Day still listed as In Progress.. ! the post reads. Everythings bigger in Texas, as the saying goesand, of course, you know what that means. "Small Claims. With intense annual freeze-thaw cycles, North Dakota is prime real estate for the development of potholes. Claim for $314.54: Rejected. - Pothole complaints: 1.9 for every 1,000 km of road. You may also like: Oldest cities in America, - Pothole complaints: 2.8 for every 1,000 km of road. Each of these industries creates a lot of heavy truck trafficand you know what that means. Councilman Ben Gray, who represents north Omaha, said this is one of the worst pothole seasons hes seen. Rickey's ordeal started when he ran over a pothole on State Route 50. OMAHA, (NEB.) The pothole had to be located on a city street. Well, in 2021, the city approved 94 claims submitted for vehicle damage from potholes. - Pothole complaints: 2.5 for every 1,000 km of road. Both I-95 and I-64 run through Virginia, and even though it is a primarily rural state, its urban areas, including Washington D.C. and the cities of Norfolk, Richmond, and Virginia Beach, are big tourist draws, in addition to being commuter cities, due to their greater metro areas and proximityall of which results in an enormous amount of traffic. Most of the solutions for potholes are temporary fixes - asphalt cold patches, tar and asphalt combinations, and occasionally concrete. That ended up hammering his car . 59 claims have already been filed during the two and a half month period to the mayor's office. - Pothole complaints: 18.7 for every 1,000 km of road. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Submit a Public Notice for Omaha World-Herald, Dirk Chatelain: Driven by the story, mine at The World-Herald has come to an end (for now at least), From 'Inside Edition' to 'Good Morning America,' Nebraska cheerleader inundated with national interviews, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Why Keisei Tominaga is walking on Senior Night - and a key factor in his potential return, McKewon: Why Nebraska teams could roar like lions in March, and a tribute to Dirk Chatelain, From being cut to facing Patrick Mahomes daily, former Nebraska DB Dicaprio Bootle earned ring, Live updates: Nebraska high school girls basketball state tournament, Shatel: Big Ten has a little cleaning up to do before inviting more schools to the party, Former Nebraska corrections employee charged with felony after delivering inmate's baby, officials say, Behind a pair of sisters and unbridled small-town support, Bridgeport believes this is the year, Cheetah briefly escapes enclosure at Omaha zoo, Nebraska high school boys basketball state tournament schedule, Time to move? People have submitted more than 600 claims for payment of pothole damage costs to the city since Monday afternoon, Mayor Jean Stothert says. Call the appropriate state or city police department and file a report. When it gets cold at night, the roads crack, resulting in a small or large pothole, he said. One such person took to Twitter to declare, tongue planted firmly in cheek, My favorite Connecticut pastime is dodging potholes., - Pothole complaints: 15.4 for every 1,000 km of road. Without a hot asphalt plant available, the city used its winter cold patch, which often breaks apart. Omaha residents are encouraged to report potholes to the city's Public Works department, the same place they can file damage claims.Drivers who hit a pothole and end up with vehicle damage can get . It's also worth getting quotes from at least three garages. The City's insurance adjusters will determine if they are . Potholes - Tennessee Potholes and Street Maintenance | Richmond - RVA Rev. The number of pothole complaints around the city is in the hundreds -- but the city says they're patching what they can. Another state with multiple and harsh freeze-thaw cycles, Wisconsin also uses more than 525,000 tons of salt each year on icy roadways, which is a major pothole contributor. And it looks like the Utah Department of Transportation is already casting an eye on some tech-savvy methods for how to spend itthe agency recently partnered with Salt Lake City-based tech firm Blyncsy to apply its artificial intelligence technology to address road hazards. If your car only suffered some minor dings and scratches (if that), you are definitely better off skipping any official claim process altogetherits just not worth the time and energy. After her SUV was damaged, her husband blew a tire on his car at a pothole near Skutt Catholic High School, Levering said. When it comes to potholes, Idaho has the advantage of a low population density. Omaha Hotline Another flyover and freight-haul state, Nebraska is also the site of more than 8,000 oil and gas wells, mostly in the southwest and west portions of the state.