Crews approach 52,000 pothole repairs

City work crews have filled nearly 52,000 potholes on the streets and roads of Colorado Springs since the beginning of 2015. Eight full-time crews continue to repair potholes across the city.

Weather is a factor in repairs. Crews first fell behind during constant rain earlier in the year, and dry weather now is allowing crews to catch up. They hope to make more progress before winter weather arrives.

Corey Farkas, manager of the city’s streets division, said cycles of thawing and freezing will undo much of the repairs completed by workers.

It’s why some drivers believe the repair effort doesn’t matter.

“I appreciate their efforts, but I think by the time they finish, there’s just going to be more to fix,” said Caroline Sprengle. “It’s just such a big effort. I think it’s too little, too late.

Workers are using a variety of strategies to repair potholes, including paving streets having numerous potholes. A crew did that Friday on Campus Drive.

Despite the significant pothole increase, the city has not paid for related damage to citizen vehicles in 512 claims filed this year. Last year, the city paid five of 226 claims.

“We have to have a reasonable amount of time to fix (a pothole),” said David Miller, supervisor of the city’s Risk Management office. “That depends on weather, resources, manpower. And last year, we had five of them that went over that time frame, so we paid those claims.”

Nina Salazar, a local driver, wishes she could file a claim and be reimbursed.

“This is going to be my fourth alignment, and I’m ready to go do another one,” she said. “The potholes need to be fixed.”

But Tony White, another driver, is satisfied with the progress of pothole work.

“It’s a lot better than it was,” he said. “There were some pretty big holes.”