Salinas neighborhood filled with potholes
Jack Vezzolo has lived on Hunter Lane for the past 80 years, and while a lot has changed, some things remain the same.
“Every year we have potholes, deep potholes. Eight to ten inches deep,” said Jack Vezzolo.
The potholes do get filled with gravel by the county, however Jack said the fix doesn’t last.
“During the summer maybe a month. And then they just come out because they are not done properly,” said Vezzolo.
Residents living around the area say the potholes really just pose a safety concern, as drivers have to swerve all over the road to miss them.
“And with oncoming traffic it’s very easy to get in a wreck,” said Vezzolo.
Owner of Tire and Wheel World, Mike Spencer, says it’s not uncommon to see vehicles on the losing side of pot holes.
“We had two cars with pothole instances. The inside of the wheel took the brunt force and just bent the rim,” said Mike Spencer.
Not a cheap repair, so who’s responsible?
“People usually pay for it themselves. Lots of times its multiple small damage so it’s wear and tear on your car. And it really adds up, but there’s not always that great big one. When there’s that great big one then it could be a collision claim,” said ISU-Pulford Insurance Agency President Jeff Pulford.
One example given was if a pothole caused two cars to collide.
“That’s when the lawyers can get involved and they may end up with an action against the county, particularly if the county had been put on notice that the pot holes were just awful on that particular road.”
Hunter lane however is just one piece of a failing infrastructure.
“Our roads are as bad as they are because number one they were built decades ago and the challenge is the funding, the funding has not kept up,” said TAMC Community Outreach Coordinator Theresa Wright.
The gas tax has not been raised in over 20 years, however that’s still the primary funding to fix roads. That, paired with more people driving high fuel efficiency cars has left transportation funding in the rear view mirror.
