TULSA, Okla. — While the ice and snow may be mostly gone, they’re leaving a menace in their path.
Take a drive anywhere around Tulsa and you’ll probably feel the bump. Potholes are taking over the streets.
They range in shape and size. Not all are created the same.
“The potholes of weather events are the ones that you’ll see, the circular ones that you drive and see," said Terry Ball, director of streets and stormwater for the city of Tulsa. "Those are ones that we’re putting hot patch into. And those are just ones that we’ll clean out, put hot asphalt in there, compact it down. And that’ll be a finish of that one.”
Last week’s weather caused water main breaks all over the city. Those breaks lead to potholes that are harder to repair.
“We’ll actually go in and saw cut the area out where the pavement was broken up, usually from the water line break," Ball said. "We’ll go in and level out, compact the surface and then pour a whole new whether it’s concrete or asphalt, depending on what surface was there to begin with. We’ll go back with the same type of material.”
No matter how much you try to avoid one, a pothole always finds a way to get in your path. Tires and wheels take most of the damage, and depending on how severe, can cost hundreds of dollars to repair. You also need to be cautious of other parts of your car.
“Could have a large bubble on it, could be an indention on the side, look at the tread," said Kevin Freeman, store manager at AAA Auto Care.
Freeman said if you start feeling a vibration in your car, it’s time to get it checked out. He said most auto shops will inspect it for free. And even if things do feel normal, it’s important to check your tires for damage.
“The car’s going to feel it in the shocks, struts, tie rods, ball joints, control arms, knock the car out of alignment," Freeman said. "It can damage the exhaust, catalytic converter, muffler, exhaust pipe, tailpipe.”
The city has eight crews working 10-hours a day to fix these potholes. If you see one that needs to be repaired, especially one in a neighborhood, you can report it by calling 311 or on the Tulsa 311 app.
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