Feb 14, 2008 8:05 am US/Eastern
Winter Storms Create Pothole Problems For Drivers
Is there a gaping pothole near you that we should know about?Email the Pothole Patrol.
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
It's a bumpy ride on roads all across the state thanks to the snow, rain and ice.
This weather creates prime conditions for potholes.
Drivers found that out the hard way Wednesday night in Medford, where the expressway had to be shut down after a bunch of cars got flat tires from a huge pothole there.
The worst part is many of the drivers didn't see it until it was too late: the pothole, like so many others around the state was hidden in the dark by all the recent rain.
"There's been a lot of flats, I've done about 10 flats so far," said Basil Regano, a tow truck driver we spoke to last night.
Basil spent much of his Wednesday night changing tire after tire from cars hitting that huge pothole on I-93 in Medford; and that's after he hit the pothole himself.
"I hit it myself. It's a big pothole, it's probably like a foot deep," says Regano. "And when the car hits it, they get a flat instantly."
Police say this is the kind of weather and the time of year that's prime for craters in the road just like the one in Medford.
We found another pothole in Weymouth that also stopped cars in their tracks.
Mass. Highway did an emergency road repair on the pothole in Medford so it wasn't be a problem for the Thursday morning commute.
Police say be careful: with the weather conditions that we've had; the extreme changes in temperatures combined with the flooding, the conditions are prime for potholes.
With 800 miles of roads in Boston alone, officials have said in the past that they rely on the public's help to track down all the pot holes.
Got a pothole that's driving you crazy? Send us it's location and pictures.
Report It To Our Pothole PatrolTo report a pothole on a Massachusetts State Highway, contact your MassHighway District Headquarters. Find the contact information for your office by visiting
MassHighway online. State law does not allow for reimbursements for damage to your car done by a pothole on a state roadway.
To request a repair to Boston city roadway, call the Public Works Department at 617-635-4950. If your car was damaged by a pothole in the city of Boston you can file a claim on the
city of Boston's Web site.
To report potholes in other cities and towns, call your local
Department of Public Works. You can search for contact information on the State of Massachusetts' Web site.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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