Detroit Drivers Face Hundreds in Tire Damage as Winter Potholes Destroy Vehicles
A stretch of Gratiot Avenue near I-75 in Detroit shredded several tires within minutes Monday night. Motorists got stuck with repair bills climbing into the hundreds. Kyle Sammy struck one…
A stretch of Gratiot Avenue near I-75 in Detroit shredded several tires within minutes Monday night. Motorists got stuck with repair bills climbing into the hundreds. Kyle Sammy struck one of the gaping holes and forked over $250 for a new tire after the gash proved too bad to patch.
"There is the cut and because it's so close to the side wall, I will have to get a brand-new tire," said Sammy, according to WXYZ. Two more cars hit that same crater minutes later and suffered matching blowouts.
The road contains several massive craters that vanish under snow and debris. Sammy has wrecked three tires on potholes in just over a year.
The Michigan Department of Transportation controls these streets and knows about the mess. MDOT spokesperson Diane Cross said crews have been tied up with salting and plowing but will tackle potholes when they catch a break.
"Unfortunately, we do get a lot of that. And driver safety is obviously our number one thing. That's why we work on the roads the way we do," Cross said. She explained that craters can spring up in a single day. Just one car rolling over a weak patch can wreck the pavement.
The brutal winter conditions have worsened things this year. 7 First Alert meteorologist Mike Taylor said the cold snap has dragged on so long it's crumbling the asphalt. Frigid temperatures harden pavement, turning it brittle and prone to cracking when cars pound over it again and again.
"Usually when we're talking about potholes, it's something that we think about in the freeze-thaw cycle once we get closer to early spring. We're dealing with this kind of early because it's been cold for so long, it's literally breaking down the asphalt," Taylor said. Complaints about road craters are flooding in from all across metro Detroit.
Cross admitted that watching every mile of road isn't possible given budget limits. Drivers can alert MDOT about potholes by calling 888-296-4546 or submitting a complaint on the agency's website.
