TULSA, Okla. — Potholes plague drivers all across Tulsa.
Driver Carolyn Williams said they can’t drive anywhere without hitting one.
“Potholes are really not good, because they tear up people’s cars, and they cause flats,” Williams said.
Another driver, Landon Robins, said traffic forced him to hit one that he didn’t see until it was too late.
“I hit one, actually, today that jarred me a little and I think might have hurt my car,” Robins said.
Jeff Jones, owner of Paintmaster Collision Center, said newer cars rely on sensors to manage lane drift notifications and automatic braking.
“Today’s cars are really giant computers going down the road. All of the sensors that keep you safe are based on that car being in proper alignment,” Jones said.
This can be a problem when dealing with some of the more recently created potholes around Tulsa.
When hitting a pothole throws your car out of alignment, It can also throw off the distance calculations of your car’s sensors. Those sensors then need to be recalibrated, which can cost hundreds of dollars.
“Back years ago, it was as simple as replace a wheel, replace a tire, get a 4-wheel alignment, and you’re down the road. Now, all of your computer systems are interacted and interconnected together,” Jones said.
The City of Tulsa said crews repair potholes year-round, but every time it rains, ices or snows, more appear and the asphalt patches are far from permanent.
People can now dial 311 or go to the 311 website and report any potholes.
Since Jan. 23, the city said people reported 359 potholes, of which crews filled 213.
But the City said they’ve had crews working overtime filling a total of 8,050 potholes in that same time frame. They said most potholes are found by road crews who fill them on the spot.
According to the City, they typically repair damaging potholes within 24 hours. Others may take a few days.
“I think that the city is doing the best that they can,” Williams said.
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