MEMPHIS, Tenn. — With rain falling heavily all day Tuesday, it meant another day of pothole problems in Memphis. And as a result, rain filled the holes made them even more difficult for motorists to see.
In recent days, many of the calls and emails to FOX13 have centered around one central issue: the potholes dotting the city’s roadways and it seems no one area is being spared.
On Tuesday morning, FOX13 learned about issues next to the airport.
The potholes there, along a stretch of Airways Boulevard near East Raines Road caused issues for drivers, with one saying he was unable to see a pothole before it was too late after being caught off guard by the severe weather and rain.
After driving over a pothole, the two tires on the driver’s side of his car were flattened. He said he saw other cars stuck after having the same issue.
“I think I saw six cars at the most,” said Jamie Neely. He spoke with a report while waiting for a tow.
“The city should be responsible. That pothole has been down here for about four months,” Neely said.
The City of Memphis alleges it did not know about the potholes on that stretch of Airways Boulevard until Tuesday morning, which means if you see a pothole and want it fixed, you must call 311 to let the city know about it.
Citing state law, a spokesperson for the city said it is not responsible for any damages because it had no prior knowledge of the pothole’s existence.
The city provided the following statement:
“What this means is that for the City to be responsible to pay any damages for pothole claims, the City must be shown to have had notice of the pothole (i.e. known that the pothole was in the street) prior to it causing damage to your vehicle. The City also must have had a reasonable time in which to repair the pothole after receiving notice. That time is typically five (5) business days from the time the City obtains notice of the pothole.
In investigating your claim, the Claims Office sends inquiries to the City’s Emergency Management Agency, Mayor’s Citizen Service Center, 311 and Street Maintenance Department. These entities are responsible for collecting reports of dangerous road conditions. If the City did not find out about this pothole until after you hit it or the 5-day period mentioned above had not expired when you hit it, under the law cited above, the City will not pay your claim.”
If the damage happens on a road that is owned by the state, you must contact the state transportation department, the city spokesperson said.
Here are links to help you out: https://bit.ly/3IipnKg, https://bit.ly/3X1AwmL and https://bit.ly/3X7eJKB.
Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood.
Trending stories:
©2022 Imagicomm Memphis, Inc.