Ashland, Ore. — Along with the green grass and fresh flowers, spring brings those dreaded potholes.
But if you want to see them filled — you’ll have to report them.
The Ashland public works superintendent says the roads that need the most work include Ashland, Granite, and Hersey streets, as well as Mountain Avenue.
However, when it comes to the smaller roads, the city relies on its citizens to call the potholes in.
“If a pothole were big enough, it could definitely do some tire damage, or maybe car damage. It’s a trip hazard if it’s near where somebody would walk so we definitely want to talk care of them when we know about them,” Ashland Public Works Superintendent Mike Morrison said.
Mike Morrison is the Public Works Superintendent for the city of Ashland.
Although the city only gets about one pothole complaint per month, he says Ashland roads are aging, and crews see them around the city quite often.
“It’s usually weather. Especially during the winter, if moisture gets under the asphalt and freezes, the ice will expand and cause a pothole. Or there’s a defect underneath the asphalt itself, and overtime it’ll just start to fail,” Morrison said.
Susannah Perillat spends a lot of time around the city, and says she’s noticed a few spots that could use a little TLC.
“Right out here in front of our community garden — the Ashland Creek Community Garden… that’s Hersey out there — and also near where I live on Clay Street,” Susannah Perillat said.
According to Perillat, Clay Street is in bad shape, due to its constant use.
“It’s kind of abominable over there. I avoid going up Clay Street because of all the potholes,” Perillat said.
Morrison says road maintenance is very expensive, and most cities struggle to find the money.
Last summer, though, the city approved some revenue from the food and beverage tax to be dedicated to streets.
It just takes a while for potholes to get fixed, because engineers have to assess what’s causing the problems, and it’s also more efficient to fill multiple holes at a time.
“If it’s a safety hazard, [we fix it] right away. If it’s one that could wait a day or two, we try to group them together so it’s more efficient,” Morrison said.
Since potholes are an inevitable product of roads, the most important step is for community members to inform the city of where the potholes are.
“I’m sure that our streets and our potholes will get taken care of because we’re a city that takes responsibility,” Perillat said.
Wherever you live, you can usually file a pothole complaint by calling your city, or you can also look online for a form to fill out on your city or county website.
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