ST. LOUIS COUNTY – If you've been on the roads lately, you know potholes are popping up just about everywhere.
5 On Your Side heard complaints about an area in St. Louis County where drivers said the potholes are a real problem. And now, there’s good news for those drivers.
Driving along Dorsett Road near McKelvey in Maryland Heights, you might find yourself swerving to avoid busting a tire.
“There's some car eaters,” said driver Jen Kerner.
Like many of us, Kerner knows all too well the damage potholes can do.
“I've had tires eaten by pot holes before. So, I’m hyper-aware of them,” she said.
Kerner lives nearby and drives the stretch of road every day.
“It's difficult to divide your focus between driving in the traffic around you and seeing the potholes on the side of the road,” she said.
She said the broken roadway has gone from an inconvenience to a danger.
“The stretch coming up to the highway is just loaded with potholes. And people are going to be watching for those more than they're going to be watching for me,” she said.
A pedestrian was hit in that area Thursday morning. Maryland Heights resident Paul Berry is surprised there haven't been more accidents.
“You're zigging, you're zagging. At the end of the day this is a safety issue,” said Berry.
While the road runs through Maryland Heights, it's maintained by St. Louis County. David Wrone of the county’s transportation department said crews are constantly repairing potholes this time of year. But it takes time to get to all of them.
“For example, last year we patched over 15,000 potholes along the stretches of road we maintain,” said Wrone. “We tend to respond to the areas with the biggest problems first and areas residents report to us.”
5 On Your Side called St. Louis County Friday morning to ask when the potholes on Dorsett would be fixed. And within a few hours, crews were at work patching up the pavement.
That put a smile on Jen Kerner’s face.
“Glad to see them,” she said with a laugh.
In addition to the patch work that was done Friday, county crews plan to completely resurface the stretch of Dorsett Road between I-270 and McKelvey this spring.
If you've got a pothole problem in St. Louis County, call the service request line at 314-615-8538.
