The Crittenden Automotive Library

Should Woodstock repair roadway?

Should Woodstock repair roadway?

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
May 17, 2011

The other night, during hours of darkness and rain, I ran through these potholes when I drove a little to the right in the lane but where I thought the edge of the road way was. This is on westbound Lake Avenue, just west of Route 47 (just past Coleman's). Notice the white shoulder line is worn out. With water standing in the roadway, there was no way to know that the chuck holes were lurking there, just waiting to claim a tire or a rim or an alignment (or worse).

Why is this important? Because if your car is damaged from a chuckhole, you might be able to get the City to pay for it. If - IF - the damaged road surface has been reported to the City. And if the City follows the rules that IDOT uses to protect itself from claims.

IDOT will tell you, if you report pothole damage to your car, that they are responsible only if the road surface in question has been reported and if they have had time to get out to repair it. What a joke! IDOT is supposed to maintain the roads. Do you think IDOT employees report road surfaces needing repair? (Now, I don't know the answer to that question. I'd like for them to do so, but do they do so at the risk of their jobs?)

A friend in Minneapolis is fighting for a $1,500 auto repair bill, and the roads department is saying that it isn't responsible, because no one had reported the potholes.

Do your part and report them. Of course, this assumes that highway department maintain accurate records of potholes reported. And it assumes that reports don't go into the "circular file" at the end of the day. Who would know?

This road damage is being reported to Woodstock Public Works. So, if you run through these holes and damage your vehicle, you'll know that they know about it now.