To submit your issue: 1) Click on a report type. The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Jeff Robb dives into data for The World-Herald. OMAHA, Neb. - Pothole complaints: 15.5 for every 1,000 km of road. However, the statute does not define "reasonable amount of time.". Stacker distribution partners receive a license to all Stacker stories, I think it is sending a message, said one Florida resident, but not in reference to a pothole. Bills that can't get passed with the current filibuster rules, States most affected by government shutdowns, Notable Supreme Court decisions passed in 2021, History of the Supreme Court and how it impacts America today, 25 terms you should know to understand the health care debate, A timeline of WWII, the most devastating conflict in history, Major newspaper headlines from the year you were born, over $1 billion in annual federal funding, Most and least popular governors in America, Defining historical moments from the year you were born, Former jobs of the governor of every state, I Have a Dream and the rest of the greatest speeches of the 20th century, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1. The City's insurance adjusters will determine if they are . This breaks down to more than $3,000 per driver. A driver recently encountered just such a situation on I-85 that resulted in thousands of dollars of damage to his car. The remaining claims are being processed. - Pothole complaints: 5.1 for every 1,000 km of road. Starting today the city had 34 crews on the streets using 300-degree asphalt to hot-patch the streets. Take a photo of the damage done to your vehicle. Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks, North Carolina substations attack a 'wake-up call' in latest nationwide infrastructure threat, guidance from the insurance agencys website, 'All in on Africa's future': Biden announces trade, infrastructure investments in Africa, Richmonds little-known pothole claims policy makes getting damages covered difficult, Most Common Reason City of Omaha is Denying Pothole Claims, Your City Could Pay for Car Damage Caused by Potholes. Its the freeze and thaw cycle. - Pothole complaints: 0.8 for every 1,000 km of road. Omaha is a city located in Douglas County and Sarpy County Nebraska.It is also the county seat of Douglas County.With a 2023 population of 509,178, it is the largest city in Nebraska and the 38th largest city in the United States. WBZ-TV's Brandon Truitt reports. Ask the mechanic to confirm the cause of the damage in writing. Damage to the vehicles tires, hubcaps, struts, and alignment can quickly add up, leaving some drivers with repairs costing up to a thousand dollars or more. Spring is pothole repair season in much of Iowa, and the state has established a fairly robust maintenance program in this regard. The claim had to have been filed no later than March 18th. The street will close Sunday for an asphalt overlay from West Center Road to Pacific Street. The Omaha News The long-term solution, really its re-paving, thats ultimately the long-term solution.. All rights reserved. The City of Omaha has returned to its long-standing damage claims policy for vehicle damaged caused by potholes. Feedback about the website? . 222 South 72nd Street, Suite 302 Reports flood in from all over Louisiana of potholes doing damage to tiresand often worse than that. When a Not-at-Fault Claim Can Raise Your Insurance Costs, What To Do When Someone Scratches Your Car, What to Do if You Crash Into a Car in a Driveway, Car Insurance Claims Questions and Answers, How To Get a Salvage Title Removed on a Vehicle. - Pothole complaints: 5 for every 1,000 km of road. Milder weather has returned, meaning potholes have returned. The city has denied 156 claims, for reasons including the pothole was not within the Omaha city limits, was located in a private . In one case, a local resident could sit right along one pothole edge like he was dangling his legs in a pool. Potholes are not just the curse of states that lay down a lot of salt in winterwhich causes breaks or delaminations in the road surfacenor are they merely the bane of the drier regions, where the sun hits the asphalt with relentless, year-round force. Still, since 2018, the South Carolina Department of Transportation has gotten some 4,000 road projects going, so perhaps the pothole pit may soon be shallower than feared. 13-910(12). Allison Mergens of Omaha said she felt super thankful for road hazard coverage on new tires she bought from Discount Tire. We dont' necessarily put out all the reasons as far as on the reasons we denied the claim. Since this city is a major tourist destination, particularly for hikers and naturalists, one may assume a good portion of the complaints are coming from out-of-staters. 17 days later, Suann Witt hit a pothole 100 feet down the road from there. Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks. Many states require you to provide proof that the road commission knew of the pothole for 30 days or more and did nothing to repair it. City Councilman Vinny Palermo, a former city public works employee who represents South Omaha, said he thought the city became liable if it didnt fix a pothole after a certain number of days. - Pothole complaints: 16.5 for every 1,000 km of road, Its like a bad joke: New Jersey has so many potholes How many? It has so many potholes that getting to the grocery store is like off-roading. The average additional cost to drivers in vehicle damage is referred to as a New Jersey pothole tax, but leaders are hopeful the new infrastructure bill will send enough road-saving dollars their way to cut that out of drivers lives, and hopefully, instead of bright orange traffic cones, help Jersey find a different state flower., You may also like: Former jobs of the governor of every state, - Pothole complaints: 18.4 for every 1,000 km of road. City of Omaha trying to keep up with hundreds of potholes. Most recently, 72nd street south of Dodge to Center street and I-80 has had panels of road replaced. Traffic was literally stopped in the right lane and I was like wtf until I remembered I live in omaha where potholes can literally be a foot deep or more. Call the appropriate state or city police department and file a report. Should I Use Insurance To Fix My Windshield? The answer is: yes, you can. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. If your car only suffered some minor dings and scratches (if that), you are definitely better off skipping any official claim process altogetherits just not worth the time and energy. But It Probably Wont, subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy, Julien Devereux, Jan. 19, Email exchange with USA TODAY, Chloe Chik, Jan. 17, Email exchange with USA TODAY. World-Herald editorial cartoonist is always on top of the latest news. Follow this link to call it in and get the name of the representative that assists you. Most recently, 72nd street south of Dodge to Center street and I-80 has had panels of road replaced. Nonetheless, anticipation is half of preparation, and so NCDOT officials are ready for what it expects to be a spring influx of complaints. Whats more, the city of Anchorage, Alaska, sits astride a fault linewhich resulted in a mighty big pothole when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the area in late 2018. State maintenance crews have developed a fill em and forget em strategy by using cold-mix asphaltasphalt you can mix in an ordinary plastic bucketto plug the holes. As such, Stacker took a look at data fromThe Clunker Junker to rank every state according to how many pothole complaints are registered on Twitter per 1,000 km, or 621 miles, of road. One state senator likened driving around potholes to playing MarioKart with an actual risk of crashing. And residents feel the same way, with one referring to Rhode Island by the moniker the Pothole State. The Providence Journal recently tallied 13,000 potholes on just 17 roads since 2021. If you hit a bad one, you may need anything from a simple flat-tire fix to extensive wheel and suspension repairs. The northern portion of the state, in particular, sees winter storms on par with those that impact portions of neighboring Utah and Colorado, but southern Arizona is not immune from the same weather events either. This island state, despite having fewer roadway miles than any other state per capita, nonetheless has a generally underbuilt road system, which has resulted in one-third of roads being in poor condition. http://ow.ly/WEL050IJ8bC, Omaha drivers get ready for pothole season, Omaha Game Enthusiast Shares Passion with Community through Business. As of May 24, more than half have been reviewed and assigned claim numbers, 104 offers of payment have been made for a total of $31,650.33 and $21,620.91 has been paid. Drivers can in large part thank WYDOTs decision to use 3D scanning on roadways to identify conditions that create potholes before many even occur. Take a photo of the pothole. and more. But if its a dark and stormy night, or if youre messing with the radio dial, you might hear that sickening Clunk! WRIC-TV, July 20, 2021, Richmond's little-known pothole claims policy makes getting damages covered difficult KMTV, Aug. 13, 2019, Most Common Reason City of Omaha is Denying Pothole Claims These may include a bulging or flat tire, bent rims, issues driving straight, a low vehicle front end, shaking or rumbling while driving, fluid leakage, or strange noises from the exhaust. After emailing the city our findings, 3 News Now asked how the city could deny someone who appeared to meet all the requirements. You can reach that office by calling (804) 646-7940. Thank you for supporting our journalism. It was shared more than 30,000 times in one week. Before banana trees, it was cement. Allstate. Here are some of Omaha's worst pothole spots, 'We would love your potholes': Welcome to Canyon Road, the worst road in Omaha, Breaking news email signup - What Counts form INLINE, Interstate pothole sidelines four vehicles at once as DOT fights a 'continual battle', Stothert: This is one of Omaha's 'worst pothole seasons,' but help is on the way, Council members weigh in on Omaha's potholes; 'I'm embarrassed about the streets in this city', Omaha closes part of South 144th Street because of rough road conditions, Pothole season is in full swing. You may also like: Most and least popular governors in America, - Pothole complaints: 5.9 for every 1,000 km of road. Manage 12,580 traffic signals. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is all too aware of its pothole problem, despite a steep dropoff in official reports. 68114 Last week right before the snow actually, I hit a pothole and it bent my rim, I had to replace the rim and also get another tire, Richardson adds. In 2022, the era of social media, a little bit of Facebook or Twitter lobbying never hurt anyone. Short of taking on City Hall, what can you do if a pothole damages your car? Document the time, date and location of the incident. Last week was a rough week for repairing potholes with a run of cold, rainy weather. . Since potholes largely plague asphalt roadswhich Iowa has a sizable number ofthe Iowa Department of Transportation has begun investing in research on the potential of recycled plastics to prolong the lifespan and overall durability of its asphalt roadways. A visual can help support your claim. Stothert said city crews have been chasing their tails in extraordinary winter conditions to keep up with filling potholes, as the weather often washes out their work. That temporary exception has ended. Despite the city's attempts to respond, it's still a mess. But after years of never approving a pothole claim, the mayor announced the city would start paying for some of the damages caused by potholes. Temps might be below freezing, but conditions are still right for potholes to pop up again. The City of Boston has roughly 7,500 open pothole claims through its 311 website. Bloom responded, We have tried to be very cooperative with your questions. In one Yukon suburb, an anonymous citizen made clear how he thinks potholes are affecting his community. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. You know as far as we put probably the main reason, said Assistant City Attorney Jeff Bloom. I had to buy a brand new tire, an Omaha woman wrote after hitting a pothole at 99th Street and Military Road. - Pothole complaints: 6.5 for every 1,000 km of road. 2. Despite over $1 billion in annual federal funding from the recently expired FAST Act, in addition to one of the highest state-level gas taxes in the country, the state still struggles with road upkeep. People may remember Jim Champion, known around Omaha as The Auto Guy from WOWT a few years ago. The more permanent fix, Rowser adds, isnt quick. A January 2022 TRIP report estimates that poor road conditions cost the average driver $813 each year. That section has reopened. Lincoln and both made the list of top U.S. cities for potholes. For now, Mergens said she focuses less on other traffic and more on the road conditions. With intense annual freeze-thaw cycles, North Dakota is prime real estate for the development of potholes. When it comes to the daily reality of driving on the nations roadways, statistics are one thing, but actually putting up with the sheer amount of cracks, delaminations, and potholes is something you can only truly measure by feedback from your fellow drivers. Get at least two estimates from two different mechanics. The section was at its worst in March, leading the City of Omaha to shut it down to rebuild the street, to the relief of neighbors. by: Jessica . In the event your vehicle is damaged by a pothole you can file a damage claim through the City Attorney's office. - Pothole complaints: 1.8 for every 1,000 km of road. "It's not anything that's going to cause a need for a tax increase or will drain our current funds," Mayor Stothert said. Fortunately, some of the states largest cities, such as Houston, are trying to get ahead of the problem. To publish, simply grab the HTML code or text to the left and paste into OMAHA, (NEB.) - Pothole complaints: 3.4 for every 1,000 km of road. How to file a claim for pothole damage to your car in Omaha. Amazon.Com, Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) is halting construction on its second headquarters near Washington. Some are small but others are filled with water, disguising the pothole within. And residents have no qualms about pointing them out. Of course, it can be a lengthy process, so be prepared to pay the cost up front. Northern Indiana roads regularly suffer both hard winters and persistent freight traffic between Chicago and Detroit, which combine to make for a perfect environment for potholes. We said they had to follow our criteria, said Mayor Stothtert. People deserve better.. Help. A coming project concerning you? Between March and June, records show 63 claims were filed. Watch out for those tire-blowing, rod-bending craters, Omaha hired private contractors to help fill potholes. But seriously.. A truck hits a pothole on northbound 144th Street just north of U Street. City of Omaha Public Works Department 1819 Farnam Street, Suite #600 | Omaha, NE 68183 . Repair requests can also be made through the mayors hotline. Tennessee is another four-season state, and as such it suffers all the contributing factors to pothole development. USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the claim for comment. On state highways, you can report potholes and file a claim . To file a claim with the city: . 8News found a little-known pothole policy that can make getting your money back a long shot. Consequently, state roadways deal with an increased amount of heavy truck traffic. Acting Gov. - Pothole complaints: 6.9 for every 1,000 km of road. Claim for $314.54: Rejected. Every part of the city, he said, is experiencing a significant problem with potholes. First, determine whether the road is a city, county, or state road. In 2021, there were over 120,000 pothole repairs made in Toronto alone. To that end, most Stacker stories are freely available to - Pothole complaints: 0.6 for every 1,000 km of road. If the city wants to help people in that way, then it should be a little more user friendly and more accessible for any person. Leaders are talking about tax cuts and more spending on law enforcementbut as for road repair, it looks like the Maryland Department of Transportations coffers are already flush. An investigation will be conducted once your claim is filed. In addition to denying 499 claims from 2014 through 2018, the city has rejected another 10 claims in 2019. Our responsibility is to fix the roads in a reasonable amount of time, Stothert said. Of those, only seven resulted in a payout from the city. And that means, in Omaha, there are plenty of opportunities to illustrate our city's biggest nemesis to drivers: potholes. This, combined with more than 7,500 poor-condition roadways, has produced a preponderance of potholes. Funnily enough, youd have better luck going to social media for such a glimpse at the raw frustration and inconvenience the common pothole can cause. A pothole was reported at the same intersection Paige Peterson hit her pothole nearly two weeks prior. Sometimes, the damage sustained is a lower dollar amount than your deductible, which would make filing a claim irrelevant. - Pothole complaints: 18.7 for every 1,000 km of road. ", Michigan Legislature. A relatively low state gas tax means less money for maintenance and repair. Potholes are actually caused, for the most part, by the conflation of water absorption, freeze-thaw cycles, heat, and good old wear and tear, which makes every city, county, and state in America ripe for their development. There is no universal policy for pothole damage reimbursement, so in many cases damage done from a pothole won't be covered by the municipality. Original reporting by University of Nebraska at Omaha students. - Pothole complaints: 1 for every 1,000 km of road. changed due to the pandemic? So yes, it's true drivers can get reimbursed (although not necessarily for the full amount). If you go to the city's website, there . She had hoped to be reimbursed, but when a reporter told her that the city doesnt pay for damage from potholes, she replied, Of course not.. The median settlement . http://unomahanews.com/2022/04/13/uno-studio-coordinator-retires-in-may/, Reporter Crystal Kwaw has the story on UNO's drag show "Sashay to Earth Day." OMAHA, (NEB.) With Omaha streets pocked with potholes, pointedquestionsaboutthe city's spending priorities are showing up on Mayor Jean Stothert's Facebo. Those, coupled with very hot summers, together collude to make a punishing environment for the states asphalt roads. About one in eight pothole damage claims in the past three years have been paid by the city. The state will receive $2.6 billion over the next five years to address its aging and degraded roads and bridges. A pothole damage claim is considered a single-car accident, which is filed as an at-fault accident by your insurance carrier. your CMS. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). 21 of those claims were paid at a cost of $8,205.94. #TheOmahaNews #ThePeopleAreTheStory ", Great Plains Auto Body. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Submit a Public Notice for Omaha World-Herald, Dirk Chatelain: Driven by the story, mine at The World-Herald has come to an end (for now at least), From 'Inside Edition' to 'Good Morning America,' Nebraska cheerleader inundated with national interviews, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Why Keisei Tominaga is walking on Senior Night - and a key factor in his potential return, McKewon: Why Nebraska teams could roar like lions in March, and a tribute to Dirk Chatelain, From being cut to facing Patrick Mahomes daily, former Nebraska DB Dicaprio Bootle earned ring, Live updates: Nebraska high school girls basketball state tournament, Shatel: Big Ten has a little cleaning up to do before inviting more schools to the party, Former Nebraska corrections employee charged with felony after delivering inmate's baby, officials say, Behind a pair of sisters and unbridled small-town support, Bridgeport believes this is the year, Cheetah briefly escapes enclosure at Omaha zoo, Nebraska high school boys basketball state tournament schedule, Time to move? The city has denied 156 claims, for reasons including the pothole was not within the Omaha city limits, was located in a private parking lot, or on the Interstate. Rowser says for now, the city is doing what it can to ensure the roads are driveable and safe for everyone. It's easier to file damage claims in some states than in others. Even so, the citys move to put pothole reports online shows it is receiving hundreds of notices about problem potholes specific potholes at locations identified on a map. Get two or three repair estimates. State law makes it difficult to get money for pothole damage. The City of Omaha does honor pothole damage claims -- the process, though, can be confusing. The city has been re-paving major roads since around 2019, which helps diminish the potholes. Please subscribe to keep reading. City expected 11 teams, but only 6 showed up, 'This is taxpayer money': Omaha said it would pay for pothole damage and claims rushed in, BAM! "Small Claim Instructions. 3) Specify the location of the issue by clicking on the map, entering the address, or using . Folks in Mississippi are generally willing to give it to you straight, and when it comes to potholes they see no reason to avoid their dislike. Within a few hours of contacting the city, the pothole was filled in and [I] got my tire fixed, Janine said. The department is devoting more than half of its $16.4 capital budget to maintaining degraded roads and other infrastructure. As of May 24, more than half have been reviewed and assigned claim numbers, 104 offers of payment have been made for a total of $31,650.33 and $21,620.91 has been paid. While the management team is still working to drive process changes and refinements, the changes made to date are note-worthy. 13-910 (12). Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Then the city received 1,320 repair requests in the first week of March, Mayor Jean Stothert reported last Monday. The tally continued to fall in 2019 to 16,520 and again in 2020 with 12,500. First, snow and ice melt and seep into the pavement. The City's Pothole Repair Program, managed by the Public Works Department (PWD) has gone through many changes over the last couple of years that has led to improvements in customer service, increased productivity, and reduced operational costs. By Friday, Stothert said the city had nearly 750 work orders ready. Sierra Nauslar said she cringed when her vehicle hit a pothole near 105 th and Pacific this week. You have permission to edit this article. You may also like: Best-run cities in America. For the first half of 2019 the city listed the reasonable amount of time statute in more than 80 percent of its pothole claim denial letters. - Pothole complaints: 7.9 for every 1,000 km of road. If the city denies your claim and your damages are significant head to small claims court. One such person took to Twitter to declare, tongue planted firmly in cheek, My favorite Connecticut pastime is dodging potholes., - Pothole complaints: 15.4 for every 1,000 km of road. Potholes start forming in winter and early spring temperatures change frequently. He felt his car driving differently. For some claims, the GTLA requires that the City has prior notice of the condition, such as pothole claims and sewer backups. A City of La Vista crew works to patch a stretch of 84th Street between Parkview Boulevard and Brentwood Drive on Monday. (KMTV) Mayor Jean Stothert announced Monday afternoon the city of Omaha will be paying for pothole claims on vehicles made against the city between January 1 and March 18 of 2019. A driverwhose vehiclewas damaged by potholes should first determine what jurisdiction is responsible for the road and then look into whether it has a compensation policy,State Farm spokesperson Heather Paul said. Rather, he was referring to the banana tree he planted inside one pothole outside his business. Rowser says portions of Q street and Blondo have also undergone replacements, and areas that used to be major hubs for potholes are in much better condition and are safer for drivers. (KMTV) Mayor Jean Stothert announced Monday afternoon the city of Omaha will be paying for pothole claims on vehicles made against the city between January 1 and March 18 of 2019. The work is meant to hold over the street through winter. "After today any claims the city makes we'll review them on a case by case basis," Mayor Stothert said. share our stories with your audience. WRIC-TV, July 20, 2021, Richmond's little-known pothole claims policy makes getting damages covered difficult KMTV, Aug. 13, 2019, Most Common Reason City of Omaha is Denying Pothole Claims In practical terms, the city takes the position: Its never liable for damage to your car from pothole-riddled city streets. 3 News Now emailed the city a list of several cases including some where the citys own database seemed to suggest it was aware of the potholes in areas for weeks. Since Jan. 1, the city has received 2,393 claims. According to data 6 News requested from Mayor Jean Stotherts office, people submitted nearly 275 pothole damage claims over the past three years. Local news outlets, including KMTV in Omaha, Nebraska, and WRIC-TV in Richmond, Virginia, have also reported that reimbursement applications are usually denied in their respective cities. If a pothole damaged your car on an Omaha city street, the mayor said she would pay for it, if it met some basic requirements. Follow. "They're caused by nature. Car Damage Claim. Wear and tear is normal I get it. Talk to local officials if there is a problem. The staff is doing the best we can, he said, and I dont know any other way to do it.. Thats less than 13%. Interstate 40 runs through Oklahoma, which has been cited as one of the 10 most hazardous roads in the United States. . Like other flyover states, Kansas is also a freight-through state, meaning heavy truck and haul traffic still creates its fair share of potholes. I think its just an excuse and I dont really trust anything theyre saying, said Peterson.