'It rattled my teeth:' Brutal winter means a lot more potholes

SEATTLE - The brutal winter means a lot more potholes across Washington.

Seattle crews are working 6 days a week baking asphalt and filling the holes. In February, they repaired hundreds more potholes than they did in February 2016.

Some potholes are so deep it’s causing hubcaps to fly off.

A graveyard of hubcaps is collecting along W. Nickerson Street next to the culprit.

“It looks about 8 inches deep,” Mark Clemens said.

Clemens says the impact rattled his teeth and shredded his tires.

“It’s kind of a landmine,” Clemens said.

It’s the second time this year Clemens has had to buy a spare tire on costing him $500.

“It’s a running joke now I put a new tire on and then I have to buy another one,” Clemens said.

He’s waiting for the city to fix the gaping hole with a sense of humor.

“It’s a little bit of an inconvenience, but I understand that they have a lot of stuff to do,” Clemens said.

“They” are the Pothole Rangers.

With the rainiest winter in several decades, the pothole rangers are working overtime.

“They are working very hard, last week the crews did a 1,000,” Sue Byers with SDOT said.

SDOT says they try to get to each pothole within three days of notification.

“Mainly we need to hear from you and tell us where they are,” Byers said.

Clemens says he did his part by alerting the city.

“It’s getting progressively worse,” Clemens said.

The longer it takes, the bigger the pothole gets.

But it’s not just a Seattle issue - other areas are facing with the same problem.

Pierce County Public Works says it has repaired nearly 90 percent more potholes this year compared to the same time last year. Pierce County says it tries to get to a pothole within 24 hours of being notified.

Pierce County says pothole repairs are a priority, and that it has a good record of fixing potholes within the 24 hour period.

But if your car was damaged in Pierce County by a pothole that was not fixed within that time period, you could possibly be reimbursed for damages if you file a claim.

In Seattle, you also could have a good case if a pothole was reported and not fixed within 3 days.

Click here for more on King County road maintenance.

And here for Pierce County.