Monitor area pothole problems on Vindy.com

With winter weather inevitably comes potholes to Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, and Vindy.com is looking to help motorists.

You can report potholes in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys by clicking the link under "Community Events" on the home page and Vindy.com will keep you updated on the problem areas see what's being done to repair the roads.

Although this year's mild winter hasn't had much of the freeze-thaw cycles that create potholes, there's signs more are developing.

John Scarabino from National Tire and Battery said while there haven't been many complaints of damage from potholes this winter, it has gotten worse recently.

The number of complaints so far has been about the same as previous years, but most of the work has come in the past few weeks.

"All of a sudden we've been replacing more tires, moreso in the last two weeks," Scarabino said. "It's very typical of this time of the year."

Maureen Bachman, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 4 in Akron, said the department has received fewer complaints from drivers, which has allowed them to catch up on other work. District 4 includes Trumbull, Mahoning, Portage, Stark and Summit counties.

"The good weather has been a good opportunity to get out there and do other things like dig ditches and cutting back branches from roadways," Bachman said. "Things that will certainly help drivers."

In addition to work, Bachman said the department has tried to be "proactive" with potholes this season instead of waiting for complaints.

Gary Setz, maintenance supervisor for Mahoning County Engineer's District 1, said they've used the warm weather to re-pave roads before potholes appear.

"They've managed to pave a few extra roads, which is the easiest way to do it. It saves everyone a lot of work," Setz said.

Setz said there's been fewer complaints this year from the public than in the past.

"Unfortunately in Ohio, there's potholes every year," Setz said.

He said part of the reason they've received fewer complaints is because of the turnaround rate between the amount of time from when a complaint is received and the time a crew is sent out to patch the pothole.

"[ODOT] has made every attempt to fill potholes as soon as we get the complaint," Bachman said.

"We're on a same-day patch basis right now," Setz said. "We've managed to keep up with them."

Joe Maestritro, general foreman for the Youngstown Street Department, said the midnight crew that usually does the snow removal has also been proactive in treating the roads.

"When they're not doing snow removal they're going section by section down the streets looking for potholes," Maestritro said. "They went from the main roads to secondary to side streets filling them in."

He said he's received very few complaints this year, but encouraged drivers to inform the department of any potholes they encounter that need to be filled the soonest.

The street department can be reached at (330) 744-3179.

"You call us, we put the complaint in writing and then prioritize them," Maestritro said.

Bachman said motorists can also call 1-(800) 603-1054 to report potholes elsewhere in Ohio.

"We appreciate people calling to let us know these things," she said.

Scarabinio said the majority of cars that come in with damage from potholes have drivers that said the damage happened in the rain and dark.

"No one ever comes in and says they hit a pothole in broad daylight," he said. "There's nothing you can do when it's dark."

He said while the potholes themselves are hard to avoid, keeping the appropriate amount of air in the tires would help minimize the damage.

"It will help if air pressure is maintained. You should be checking your air pressure twice a month, if not once a week," Scarabino said.

If a motorist feels they have incurred damage to their vehicle from a pothole, Bachman said there is a system in place for drivers to report the incident and they could receive compensation for the repairs. She said drivers can file a claim against the state through the Court of Claims of Ohio.

The court can be contacted by calling 1-(800) 824-8263.