The pothole problem: Metro Public Works filling potholes left behind after winter weather

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- They could be called the danger after the storm. They jar your teeth when you hit them, and they often hit your bank account in a big way: potholes.

First it was the rain, sleet, ice and snow. Now, potholes are popping up across Louisville, and they're costing countless drivers a lot of money.

"We've received upwards of 300 calls today for service, and that's what our crews have been doing all day today," Sal Melendez, with Metro Public Works, told WDRB News on Tuesday.

While the potholes are a headache for drivers, they're a windfall for local tire shops.

"It's meant a great deal for our business," said Jimmy Vierling, manager of Michel Tire in Middletown. "We've been very busy with flat tires and several bent wheels."

Michel Tire has ordered six replacement tires in the past few days, costing $300 up to nearly $1,000 for big pickup trucks.

"On most of these wheels you're gonna be looking anywhere from $350, you can get as high as $800 or $900," Vierling said. "A lot of customers (are) frustrated, a lot of customers (are) looking for someone to call."

Those customers are calling Metro Public Works. Melendez said on top of the damage from freezing rain expanding in road cracks, a lot of damage is done by the chemicals spread on the roads to keep drivers safe. The big trucks and plows making multiple trips over the same surfaces only adds to the size and number of potholes, he said.

Melendez said the worst spot crews found for potholes on Tuesday was near New La Grange Road and Lyndon Lane, but that it's anybody's guess where the biggest batch will be next time.

"Me, my personal preference, we can take one snowfall and call it a day and I'm good," he said.

Crews were out into the night Tuesday patching potholes, something Melendez said he wishes could have started a few days ago, but it was too cold.

"I equate it to a Band-Aid," he said. "It's gonna rip off as soon as the first car goes over it. It's not gonna last very long if you repair it when it's cold."

To report a pothole in Louisville, click here.