Potholes Never Seem to Go Away

Los Angeles has had a pothole problem for more than 60 years.

"Potholes are like diamonds, they're forever," said John Sapone, head of Los Angeles' Street Maintenance Division. "If you have asphalt roadway, you're going to have a potential for a pothole."

Each year, the city budgets around 21 million dollars for street maintenance. Sapone said on average, the cost to fix an actual pothole is about seven to 21 dollars for each repair.

This year, Mayor Eric Garcetti pledged to go back to basics, starting with street repairs. City Councilmen Joe Buscaino and Mitchell Englander, have also proposed a measure to fix every failed street in Los Angeles within the next 10 years.

"We want to provide safe passages by schools, as well as churches and high business areas," explained Sapone.

Matt Eugenio works at Raceline Auto Shop in Temple City. He said potholes can make safety a serious issue. "It could damage your tire, it could damge your wheel, your suspension," said Eugenio. "With so many potholes in Los Angeles, it's bound to happen."

Charles Lam, a Los Angeles resident, said he was driving on the freeway when he broke a rear wheel and popped a tire.

"I pull off on the side of the road, call Triple A, got a tow, got towed out to a tire shop and bought a spare wheel and a new tire," said Lam.

The incident cost him more than 600 dollars and a lot of time he won't get back.

"I mean if you can avoid a pothole, you'll avoid spending money," explained Eugenio.

"As long as we have asphalt roadways, we're going to have the potential to have road defects, regardless if it's potholes, pop outs, roll ups; there's going to be some type of road defect you're going to have to deal within the roadway because it's asphalt material," said Sapone.

And until they're fixed, it's probably a good idea to be familiar with the potholes on your street.