ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – With our wild fluctuations in temperatures, the pothole problem worsens across the area. Crews are taking advantage of the nice weather to make repairs.
The morning commute didn’t quite go as planned for Charmaine Grayer. Before she clocked in, her tire checked out, thanks to a large pothole.
“Boom. It sounded like someone hit my car,” Grayer said. “Like, it literally sounded like maybe somebody hit my car. That’s how loud it was. And I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’”
Her car was one of at least four that suffered damage along this stretch of South New Florissant near Dunn roads in north St. Louis County. Luckily for all involved, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
“It really could have caused an accident. Like I could have lost control of the car. It’s just dangerous. I just don’t understand why they don’t have anything like a plate covering it up. And I mean, it’s literally not visible,” she said.
By the afternoon, workers had quickly fixed the pothole.
David Wrone, St. Louis County Transportation and Public Works, said they have crews out in all five of their districts working continuously when weather allows.
“Anytime you have a dramatic fluctuation in temps from 0 to 70 in basically 10 days, you’re going to be seeing potholes,” he said. “We can’t patch when it’s raining but on a day like this, it’s ideal for us to get out there and tackle these potholes.”
Wrone says to be alert while you’re out on the roads and to drive cautiously since we’ll be dealing with this hazard for at least a few more months.
“The weather conditions are just too good for the pothole beast,” Wrone said.
If you encounter potholes, you can make a service request in the county by calling 314-615-8538.
