KRDO 13’s ‘The Road Warrior’ investigates reports of pothole problems in Pueblo
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Minutes before a live report on the city's east side Tuesday, Cynthia Hopkins drove up to KRDO 13's The Road Warrior crew, wearing her bathrobe as she explained how agitated she was about pothole damage to her car.
"I hit a pothole and damaged my front end," she shouted through the early morning wind on Saratoga Road. "It's going to cost me $1,300 to repair it."
We haven't heard of potholes being the problem in the Steel City, that they are in Colorado Springs.
"In general, this year hasn't been a substantial peak over any other given year, really," said Andrew Hayes, the city's public works director. "There's generally a peak at the end of the winter season but lately, it's been pretty dry."
Yet in the past week, KRDO 13 has received emails from three viewers regarding potholes in their neighborhood.
On Saratoga, neighbors say that the potholes are worst on either side of repaving done last summer over the installation of a new water line.
"I've been told the city doesn't have money in the budget for repairs," said Steve Cardinelli, who lives along Saratoga and contacted KRDO 13 about the matter. "They have to look at the safety of the street. People have to drive right in the middle of the road to avoid the potholes. It's dangerous."
Bonforte and Desert Flower boulevards, near the Colorado State University-Pueblo campus, and several streets neat the Colorado State Fairgrounds, also were mentioned by residents as having numerous potholes.
"Bonforte is a heavily-traveled area," Hayes said. "The streets near the fairgrounds are old, dating back to the 1930s and 1940s when the old city airport was there. Different types and degrees of asphalt failure are happening there. The age of a road, and the condition of soils underneath, can determing how potholes form."
Hayes said that his department is determining whether he affected streets simply need pothole repairs, or require repaving or other surface treatment.
However, it's possible that -- as is the case in Colorado Springs -- people may not be reporting every pothole they see
"We have a daily crew devoted to potholes and can usually respond to requests within a day or two," Hayes said. "People can call us at 719-553-2295 to report potholes. They can also use our Pueblo Place system at www.pueblo.us/place. They can even come to our office near the police station and talk with us personally."
Meanwhile, in an unrelated matter, many residents are expressing concern about the construction of a Maverik convenience store at the east end of Pueblo Boulevard, at the Interstate 25 interchange and near a frontage road.
Citizens are worried about traffic congestion and safety during the construction, and believe the situation will only worsen unless a traffic signal is installed; some drivers trying to exit I-25 to Pueblo Boulevard said that they are now exiting farther south -- at the Stem Beach Road exit -- to avoid the congestion.
The interchange is the responsibility of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) because of its proximity to I-25 and Pueblo boulevard, which also is State Highway 45; the agency is currently conducting a traffic study to determine what upgrades are needed.
