A massive pothole on Highway 109 in Sumner County means several people are staring down costly repairs.
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Have I ever mentioned how bad our roads are in my part of Tennessee? But a pothole the size of a car?
I know that stretch of road well. It's marked with a speed limit of 55, but the normal speed is 70 or faster. I bet more than a few drivers were surprised by that pothole.
I've been making quite a few trips back and forth to Portland traveling down Hwy 52 and I have to tell you, ever since we had our snow and ice storm a little while back, my driving has been a little more erratic trying to dodge both the old and new potholes. Hell, it's like barreling down a poorly maintained gravel road.
The little town I used to live in in California had several streets that were more pothole than pavement. Someone new got elected to the city council and within a month, the potholes in front of his house were filled. Not the rest of the street. Just in front of his house.
ReplyDeletePotholes are more affective than speed limit signs. That's the reason they don't repair them.
ReplyDeleteMy town didn't fix them because the geniuses at city hall never figured out how to do any maintenance of any form. Each city council member wants to put their name on a new project, but refuses to allocate funds to maintain anything the city currently has. That's why the city no longer has a public pool.
DeleteCan't speak for Tennessee, but am certain in the Commonwealth of Virginia, one can apply for damages sustained from a neglected, unfilled pothole.
ReplyDeleteMy wife's from Maryville so we used to visit there from Georgia from time to time. In that part of East Tennessee, the roads were better than those we left in Georgia, which weren't bad. When we crossed the state line, my wife would say, "Why does Tennessee look better?" I suspect that hardwoods play a part but I also suspect that the Republicans not marching through Tennessee had something to do with it. That's why we were all Democrats for a century or so.
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding me? Republicans burned down everything from Maryville to Chattanooga! Even my little hometown of Tellico Plains was burned down because we had an iron works that made a few cannonballs for the Lost Cause. If you drive South on Highway 411 from Benton, Tennessee to Chatsworth, Georgia, you can tell where good Tennessee roads end and poorly maintained Georgia roads begin.
DeleteIt's sad. Back in the '80s, we were regularly in the top five states for good roads in several truckers' magazines. The state claims we have a budget surplus. Why are our roads so shitty if we have all this money?
ReplyDelete--Tennessee Budd
Around here you almost need to carry a map to navigate all the potholes. I carry a can of Orange inverted spray marking paint and outline some of the worst ones. Usually gets them filled pretty fast. The "Special" road district doesn't like their ass to shine.
ReplyDeleteCame across a pothole on PA 66 back in the mid-70's. I parked my mustang in it and got out to see it enveloping the entire car. Really wished I had a cell phone camera. Hope no one ever hit it at speed.
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