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Street maintenance crews throughout Central Coast working to fix potholes after recent rains

Angel Russell

Crews have been busy repairing streets throughout the Central Coast after the recent rains have unearthed more potholes, and local auto shops say they’ve seen an increase in calls for repairs.

“Water is an enemy of a good roadway,” said John Waddell, Deputy Public Works Director for SLO County.

Waddell said those recent storms in the area throughout December are to blame for the increase in potholes.

"If there are cracks on the roadway, the water works its way through and gets into the soil beneath the base material and softens that up, which then doesn’t support vehicles as well," Waddell said.

And when people drive over uneven roadways, their cars might suffer from damage.

“Potholes are no joke,” said Isaac Feldman, the owner of Certified Auto Repair in San Luis Obispo.

Feldman said a whole host of issues can arise from driving over potholes.

“Things as simple as spilling your coffee from your cup holder, blowing out a tire, damaging a wheel, damaging suspension components," Feldman said. "You can throw off your wheel alignment, potentially even throw off your steering.”

Feldman said their shop is always busy, but more calls for repair have been coming in after the recent storms.

“Worst case scenario, if you can’t swerve out of the way of a pothole then definitely slow down and go over it as slow as possible," Feldman said. "Best case scenario, just try not to hit it.”

Waddell said for city roads that need repair, people can contact their city's public works departments. If it's a highway, Caltrans is the one to call, and if it's a county road, people can contact SLO County Public Works or file a complaint online.

To file a request for repair on a SLO County road click here.

Angel Russell is a former KCBX News reporter who started her career in journalism as a reporter and producer for KREX on Colorado's Western Slope; she later moved to the Central Coast to work for KSBY as weekend anchor and weekday reporter. She holds a BA in journalism from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, and playing guitar and piano.
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