Pothole season in Spokane leaves drivers frustrated, 157 filled so far | help me hayley

SPOKANE, Wash. — It’s pothole season again in Spokane. The city said the recent weather has created a “good recipe for pothole crops.”

“Every time we freeze and thaw, a large amount of snow and then melt and freeze again, the best potholes are made,” said Kristin David of the City of Spokane in an email. “There are pothole trucks covering both the north and south sides of the city during daytime shifts. Crews are responding to reports made both by road crews who maintain roads during their shifts and by local residents who report them to 311.”

The city said they aim to fix potholes as quickly as possible, but a quick drive around the city shows new problems are emerging all the time.

Sanjay Logani of Spokane said he and his damaged vehicle know all too well how destructive potholes can be.

“I drove home, I was on call at the hospital,” he said. “Just two miles away on Boone, I hit a pothole so big the tire on my car blew out.

He said he was told they were slammed in response to similar calls. He had no way of spotting the pothole until it was too late.

“It was dark,” he said. “It drizzled or rained a bit. I heard the loudest beat. Had I lost control it would have been a much more serious incident.”

Logani is now waiting for new tires, which can take up to eight weeks depending on the selection.

The City of Spokane said drivers could file claims for damages. Their website states in part: “An incident form must be completed by the affected department and faxed, emailed or internally mailed to a Risk Management Claims Adjuster within 24 hours of the incident. Make sure you document the incident in detail and take photos if possible.”

https://my.spokanecity.org/administrative/claims/

Filing a Claim – City of Spokane, Washington

Logani says his priority is simply warning others.

“I think the city needs to get their crews out and fix this before anyone gets seriously hurt,” he said.

David says the best thing people can do to help with this process is to let the city know if they spot a problem.

The city has a “pothole tracker” that says 157 have been filled since it was last updated on Jan. 13.

https://my.spokanecity.org/streets/maintenance/pavement-repair/