KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It's a hard hit that can cost you thousands of dollars. Potholes!
Not only are they costly, but it makes drivers everywhere cringe when they feel that tell-tale bump in the road on the way home.
It's a pesky problem that can widen to a financial burden for any driver left hitting that hole. Auto repair owners we have talked to say the cost can run at least $2,000.
To fix the issue, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) wants you to become a member of its "Pothole Patrol." Throughout March, maintenance crews will be repairing potholes to keep roads as safe and smooth as possible. But if you want the pothole on your street fixed, you have to report it so crews can assess the damage and make the needed repairs.
“We don’t want to take any shortcuts and sacrifice the safety of our customers and our crews,” said State Maintenance Engineer Becky Allmeroth. “We are focusing on quality repairs. It is not a good use of resources to have our crews going out multiple times repairing the same pothole.”
If you see a pothole that you want fixed there are several ways you can let MoDOT know:
- Call the 24/7 Customer Service Center at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636)
- Use the Report a Road Concern form on the web at www.modot.org
- Use your smart phone/tablet with a mobile friendly form at www.modot.org/roadconcern
- Email to comments@modot.mo.gov
MoDOT spends approximately $15 million a year on pothole patching with the majority of that during the month of March. The spring is the time of year more potholes open up as temperatures warm up during the day, but drop back down at night.
If you do hit a pothole and your car is damaged, you can file a claim. Each city and agency has a different procedure, but a good rule of thumb is to always snap a picture of the pothole and any damage to your car.
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