(TULSA, Okla.) January 2 - A potentially dangerous problem is found on a Green Country bridge, a gaping pothole. A worker with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation discovered the two-foot by two-foot hole in the right lane of the Bird Creek Bridge on Highway 66 just north of Catoosa. The bridge was built in 1936 and is scheduled to be replaced in 2012. In the meantime the hole is being repaired. Officials say the bridge is safe but the winter weather means holes are opening up all over the roads. They're a growing problem for drivers all over Tulsa, potholes left behind by this winter's extreme weather. "Once we get done with snow and ice operations we're always coming back to fix potholes", says ODOT worker Martin Stewart. Since the ice storm last month, ODOT crews have filled more than 100 potholes on the area's highways and they're far from finished. “We've still got a ways to go, daily traffic counts just tear it up", Martin said. ODOT and Tulsa crews try to fill the potholes quickly. Last January a woman was killed when she hit a pothole and lost control of her car on an I-244 overpass. And this year there are pothole problems on the interstates. “I-44 is getting to be a bit older now and there have been a few places between Yale and the river that have popped up", Martin said. Tulsa officials say they've had trouble finding the time to fix potholes on city streets. A lot of the crews who would normally do that work have instead been cleaning up storm debris. The city hopes to have more crews on pothole patrol in about a week. If your car is damaged by a pothole, depending on the circumstances, ODOT or the city of Tulsa may reimburse you for your repairs. If your car is damaged by a pothole on city streets and you would like to file a claim, call the Mayor's Action Line at 596-2100.
If your car is damaged by a pothole on state highways or an interstate and you would like to file a claim, call ODOT at 838-9933.
