Between this year's winter weather and the recent rain, North Texas roads are taking a hit and the Texas Department of Transportation said it's seen more complaints about potholes on roadways.
"We have seen some unprecedented winter events early this year, now we're seeing days of nonstop rainfall," TxDOT spokesperson Patrick Clarke said. "As you can imagine, our roads have definitely taken a beating this year."
While crews do drive around, he said they rely heavily on motorists to report any problems on roadways managed by TxDOT.
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"We want to implore people to drive safely and drive cautiously and if you see something, say something, our crews are at the ready to fix these potholes," Clarke said.
Along W. Northwest Highway in Dallas, there is a pothole on the bridge that crosses Harry Hines Boulevard that's caused damage to several vehicles over the last several days. It's along Loop 12 heading west to Interstate 35 and in the right lane.
Clarke said it's been temporarily fixed before, but they have not received complaints about it before.
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NBC 5 received an email from a driver who said his car was damaged after driving over the pothole. On Tuesday, another driver said she experienced the same problem.
"I mean I just hit it, didn’t even know it was there," Kelly Navarro said. "Just blew out my tire, just completely blew it out, I mean messed up my rim."
With her flashers on, Navarro's car sat on the side of the busy roadway as a good Samaritan tried to help her.
She said the stranger said he had seen several other cars experience blowouts due to the pothole.
“I’m mad, I’m real upset. I’m real upset because we shouldn’t have to drive on highways like this," Navarro said. "Now I have to get a new tire, a new rim, because my rim is messed up."
She ended up having to pay for a tow truck to remove her car.
A TxDOT crew arrived at the bridge to assess the situation after NBC 5 inquired about the pothole.
"It can be a process, but we understand this is very important, our goal is to make sure that the roadways remain as safe as possible, so as soon as a complaint comes in for a pothole, it's all hands on deck to ensure this pothole is fixed as quickly as possible," Clarke said.
He said once crews figure out the materials needed, the spot will either receive a temporary fix or they'll have a contractor come permanently fix it.
Clarke said if someone's car is damaged on a roadway managed by TxDOT, they can file a claim on the website, but the state website said the law does not allow TxDOT to reimburse drivers with state funds.
