Mega-Pothole, closeup Originally uploaded by Eloise Mason

You can tell it’s been a rough winter by all of the potholes in the streets in the area. I did some driving today and couldn’t believe the bad shape of our roads. Southwest Hwy., Cicero, Harlem, 131st St., 143rd St.; every one of these streets had bad potholes. There was a lot of swerving done by drivers on these roads.

There was a huge hole on Cicero & Southwest Highway that is probably not visible at night and looks like it could cause some damage. A few weeks ago I was showing Frankfort IL real estate at night and hit a huge pothole. My tire went flat immediately. It was so damaged I had to buy a new tire but at least I didn’t damage the frame. A guy at the nearest gas station said he had hit the same pothole and had even worse damage. We both should have probably notified Frankfort but I’m not sure who is responsible.

Is the city liable or is it the county? I did a quick search and could not find an answer. I know the City of Chicago has it’s own public works department that takes care of potholes in city limits. So who is responsible for some of the main streets like Harlem, Cicero, etc.?

If you damage your car (I have special tires that had to be ordered) can you expect some kind of payment? It’s too late for me, I should have reported it immediately. I can’t even remember the exact street I was on now as it was dark and we were using the GPS to find the newer subdivision I was showing a townhouse in.

Not only do these potholes cost car damage that someone has to pay for, but I believe they can be dangerous. I wonder how many accidents are caused by someone trying to avoid a deep gap in the road at the last minute. Be careful out there!