Large potholes frustrate east Colorado Springs neighborhood

Even with an expanded paving project and six daily repair crews, potholes persist in Colorado Springs.

That’s especially true along South Carefree Circle between Powers Boulevard and near Academy Boulevard where residents complain about many large potholes.

Maggie Kubes, who has lived in the area for three years, said a pothole outside her home is 2 feet deep and 7 feet wide.

“We’ve contacted the city but gotten no response yet,” she said. “One neighbor bought some concrete and filled a pothole himself. We’ve been putting rocks and even pine needles into them but it doesn’t work. Vehicles still get damaged.”

The neighborhood has several potholes that are nearly the size of the one in front of Kubes’ home, but instead of being in the street, many are in the gutter where they also cause curbs and driveway entrances to crack.

Jack Ladley of the city’s Streets Division said he’s aware of the situation.

“We’ve received 56 requests for pothole repairs and have filled 54 of them,” he said. “The problem is the street because it’s in bad condition and water gets underneath the pavement.”

Ladley said the city plans to do maintenance paving work on the street next month.

“We’re at 40,000 potholes filled in the city so far this year,” he said. “We’ll match the 60,000 we had last year.”