ST. LOUIS – With St. Louisan’s still irate over the city’s response to the recent ice and snow, some are now wondering about how it’ll handle potholes.
The city says it aims to patch potholes on major streets within two business days. FOX 2 set up a test to find out if the streets department can live up to that goal.
A crater at Skinker Boulevard and Clayton Road is a potential rim buster. We noticed it catching drivers off guard—swerving at the last minute to dodge it as they make a right turn in front of the historic Amoco sign.
Video taken from inside the pothole gives the appearance of the Grand Canyon.
It’s one of about a thousand potholes reported by citizens.
“Kingshighway is a bit of a nightmare at the moment,” Brendan Gorman said. “Poor response to the snow, but maybe they can make a comeback and have a good response to the potholes.”
He wonders if we’re about to see a horror sequel to the winter storm response.
The city acknowledges longer wait times for potholes in residential streets and alleys. We shot video of potholes all over town on major streets, which we’ll come back to next week to track whether St. Louis can live up to its goal.
“No, I don’t like them, plus I know it’s going to make my phone ring too,” Streets Commissioner Kent Flake said. “I saw ten on my way in today, and I live a mile and a quarter from here.”
Flake is short on workers like so many others, frantically hiring so they can bolster their current 100-person staff. He says they should be at about 160.
He was candid that they may fall short, saying, “It’s a good goal to have, but it’s fairly unachievable at this point.”
St. Louis City created an interactive pothole map, with the red dots marking potholes that need attention and the blue dots signifying those patched. You can also report a pothole online, on the same web page, and then track the city’s progress.
We’ll return next week to check the potholes we documented to find out—will the city deliver?