MILWAUKEE - As much a part of spring as melting snow and blooming flowers, potholes are popping up all over Milwaukee – ranging from slightly annoying to dangerous.
One Milwaukee alderman called the pothole problem an epidemic, and residents who spoke to FOX6 News said they are sick of hitting them.
Autowise in Milwaukee has a front row seat to pothole problems. There's even one outside the shop.
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"(It can do) a lot of things – crack your rim, blow your tire out," said Edgar Castaneda, the shop's owner. "On my drive home, potholes, I swerve, I see it all the time."
Members of Milwaukee's Common Council want the issue addressed.
Pothole in Milwaukee
"The problem is persistent. The problem is growing. I don’t see evidence of major work to correct it," said Ald. Bob Bauman.
The Public Works Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday, April 26. Bauman and other leaders said they want answers from the mayor's office and Department of Public Works. He said the DPW first told him freezing and thawing played a role.
"Then we were told, ‘Well, we don’t have the hot asphalt yet, we only use cold patch and cold patch doesn’t last very long.’ OK, fine, we get that," Bauman said. "Now what’s the plan to get hot asphalt on the streets in sufficient quantity, so people aren’t comparing this to a Third World country?"
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Near National Avenue on the city's south side, there are both recent repairs and cracked concrete. Kory Harrison said a pothole damaged his car.
"I don’t own a car because of it. I didn’t have the money to fix my last car," he said.
It's a huge frustration drivers want fixed.
"People swerving back and forth. People veering to the left and the right," said Harrison. "You would think it’s someone driving crazy. No, they’re dodging potholes."
Autowise said some damage can cost hundreds of dollars or more. The DPW said it plans to address concerns at the Common Council meeting at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Statement from Milwaukee DPW:
The response time on addressing potholes has generally been delayed since late February due to the unusually high number of requests this year. This due in large part to continuous freeze/thaw cycles which lead to contractions and expansions in the pavement which disrupts the integrity of the roadway surface. The public can report potholes via the MKE Action App, by calling 414-286-CITY or online at Milwaukee.gov/click4action. We appreciate the public’s patience as our street maintenance crews are continuously working to address these locations.