Potholes in the Street
Flaws in the road surface freeze, thaw, and then crack again, enabling water to infiltrate through the pavement. As that water freezes and thaws, it expands the surface crack, resulting in the potholes that people see. Potholes typically appear in the traffic lane of a road, parking lots, or where ever there are high amounts of traffic. They are generally atypical in size and shape.
Utility services that are beneath the road are typically located close to a manhole or catch basin. These areas are susceptible to cave-ins.
A cave-in, also known as a sinkhole, can be anything from a small dip in the road to some larger holes in the pavement that need fixing right away.
Problems with Potholes
The CDOT (Chicago Department of Transportation) assigns construction staff to fix potholes year-round and has inspectors in every neighborhood of the city. During “pothole season,” when the majority of potholes appear, CDOT schedules crews to work every day, including weekends.
When a cave-in or sinkhole is discovered, CDOT inspectors will evaluate the extent of the damage to the road and identify the issue’s root cause. The organization or utility business that needs to make the repairs will subsequently receive its evaluation. Work beneath the road may need finishing before the road repairs are complete, depending on what caused the cave-in.
Increase of Potholes
After a particularly harsh winter, the city’s streets are littered with tens of thousands of potholes, according to Mike Claffey, spokesman for the Department of Transportation. The number of reports of potholes in streets and alleyways received by the city between December and the end of February was 16,569. That’s a 20% increase over the previous year. Additionally, the number of potholes filled by Chicago workers during that time was around 157,976, which is almost ten times the number of reported potholes.
In Chicago, spring also brings potholes, despite the fact that it typically brings flowers and warmer weather. The city has fixed nearly 215,000 potholes and cracks in streets and alleys across Chicago, stated Erica Schroeder, a spokesperson for CDOT. Furthermore, the city repaired 605,000 cracks and potholes last year.
Plan on waiting after making a claim about vehicle damages made from potholes. A normal claim’s processing time can be close to a year. This is due to the fact that the claim must be reviewed by the Committee on Finance of the Chicago City Council and approved as a formal item of legislation.
How to Make a Claim
The mere filing of a claim does not guarantee that it will be honored. It is strongly advised that the claim contains as many details, including images, as feasible in order to reduce this danger.
To file a claim, one must complete and sign a Property Damage Claim Form. The city also requires two written estimates for the cost of repairing the damage — copies of these are permissible. Additionally, they need a police report for the incident that resulted in the damage.
If the damage was done to a vehicle, people need to submit the Damage to Vehicle Claim Form — signed and completed. The city also requires a paid receipt for the repairs performed to the car, or two written estimates for the cost of repairing the damage. Again copies of these are allowed. Furthermore, they also need a copy of the police report for the incident that resulted in the damage.
After these claims are introduced to City Council, additional information cannot be added. So it is advisable to turn in everything at the same time.
People can either hand deliver their claims to the Office of the City Clerk or mail them to:
Office of the City Clerk
Attn: Claims
121 N. LaSalle St, Room 107
Chicago, IL 60602-1295
Anyone who wishes to report a pothole can do so by calling 311 or online at https://311.chicago.gov/. So far this year the city has received over 22,000 service requests for pothole repairs through the 311 system.
Written by Daniel Murillo
Edited by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Chicago.org: Pothole in the Street
Chicago Sun-Times: Drivers dodging potholes: Rough roads are an expensive nuisance for Chicagoans
Illinois Policy.org: POTHOLE SEASON IN CHICAGO: HOW TO FILE A CLAIM FOR VEHICLE DAMAGES
Office of the City Clerk: Claims
Top and featured image Courtesy of DDohler Flickr page – Creative Commons License
Inset image Courtesy of DDohler Flickr page – Creative Commons License
