TULSA, Okla. — About 10 drivers have fallen victim to a new pothole on the Broken Arrow Expressway in the area of a pavement rehab project.
Two weeks ago we did a story about a pothole in this construction zone near the Utica Ave. exit giving people flat tires. That one was fixed, but now there’s a new one in the same area — this time in the right lane and it’s also taking a big toll on tires.
“I was the first of probably about 10 other vehicles that hit that same pothole after me and came on the same side street there on Troost with the same exact problem," said Curtis Marti.
The photos he showed our team shows this one is deep and not so much a circle hole but a small strip of road missing. A video he took shows some cars drove over it just fine but others found themselves with a flat.
“I was in a construction area so I am glad that they are doing the construction," Marti said. "I'll put up with the delays on the way to work and the narrowing of lanes if they are getting the streets fixed but there's obviously still a whole lot more to do.”
Marti says he’s hit potholes in the past on other streets but never one that caused a problem like this. Not only does he need a new tire but also a new rim.
AAA helped Marti and other drivers and told them replacing a tire and rim could cost upward of $800.
2 News Oklahoma reached out to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to ask why this keeps happening in this one spot.
“We have a lot of extra traffic being put on to two lanes instead of spread out on three lanes. Traffic is shifted a little bit so the tire tracks are now on patches that were in between lanes in the past,” said Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesperson TJ Gerlach.
He says the recent winter weather didn’t help either.
The contractor of the work zone, Sherwood Construction, is responsible for repairs throughout the project. Gerlach says ODOT will keep a close eye on this area and make sure the contractor keeps up with repairs.
“We know the surface in this area is rough," he said. "That's the number one reason we are doing a full pavement rehab. It's just this pavement is past its service life and we just need to go in and redo it and so as soon as we can get some better pavement underneath them (drivers) I’m sure we will all be happier.”
Anyone affected by a pothole in this work zone can submit a claim by calling Sherwood Construction at (918) 266-6861. When calling you will need to provide the company with the date and time you hit the pothole, the construction zone you hit it in, a list of damages, pictures and estimates for the repairs.
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