Dear Crabby,
I know we live in Michigan and potholes are to be expected, but is it just me or they extra bad this year?
Thanks,
Rod Rumble
Dear Rod Rumble,
It’s definitely not just you. In fact, I saw someone recently post one of those memes on Facebook that read, “In England they drive on the left side of the road. In Michigan they drive on what’s left of the road.” Ain’t that the truth! I see vehicles bobbing and weaving down a road all the time. Now an outsider might think the driver was drunk but living my whole life in Michigan I know better. Even so, I’m even afraid someone will think I’m a senile senior who doesn’t know how to drive and take my license away from me. And you and I are definitely not the only people who have noticed how bad it is. I read that Wayne County “patches” anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 potholes in each day. Can you believe that? Over in Macomb County Mound Road is so bad, they plan on spending just over $10 million to completely resurface four miles of the road. Here in Oakland County, the spokesperson for the Road Commission said potholes would actually have been a lot worse this year if so much road repair hadn’t been done last year. Worse? I can’t even begin to imagine. And if that ain’t enough to make your blood boil, I heard a rumor that Ohio, of all places, now has better roads than us.
O-H-I-O. Let that sink in for a moment.
Sure, the fluctuating temperatures is partly to blame. It seems every time holes get filled, Mother Nature comes along with rain or snow to undo everything and make the holes even worse. But if we had the proper funds in the first place to take care of our roads, maybe it wouldn’t feel (literally) like such a nightmare. And then maybe I wouldn’t hear ordinary folks on the news were out on major roads taking matters into their own hands and filling in these tire-busting pits. The potential of falling into one of these things aside, the other major problem is how we’re going to pay for all these repairs. MDOT is slapping together an emergency repair contract to help fix roads like I-75, I-696, and Telegraph Road. Easy, right? Oh. And they’re hoping that $5 million will be enough to fix all the damage Mother Nature has gifted us with. Listen. Hoping my doctor doesn’t tell me I need to lose five pounds is one thing, but hoping you’ll have money to take care of something thousands of people use? Uh, I don’t think I like that math. My guess is when they start taking care of all this, it will conveniently coincide with construction season. Because if we’re stuck in gridlock we can’t get swallowed up by a pothole. Then again, people could just fill ‘em up with water and create their own swimming hole like we used to do as kids. So, until this all gets sorted, I’d keep an eagle-eye out for these nasty suckers. And if you live in Oakland County like I do, I recommend staying away from Walton, Baldwin, and Joslyn. Those roads are just accidents waiting to happen. Here’s to hoping all our tires and shock absorbers hold up and you don’t have to use your deductible.
Dear Crabby
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