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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — USA Today reported that Mass. is in the top 20 states with the worst potholes problems based on Google Trends data from 2020 to 2023.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chris Fama asked Mass. residents about their experience with potholes in light of the new study.
One person said that “Highland Avenue in the Needham/Newton line” was a road he tended to avoid, adding that “boy, it’s brutal.”
Another person said, “Center Street in West Roxbury, I avoid that road as much as I can.”
Explaining how bad some of the roads in Mass. can be, one resident said, “You can’t keep a cup of coffee in the car because it spills all over the place.”
The new data from USA Today showed that Mass. is ranked 19th for having the worst pothole problems. Washington topped the list, with Nevada coming in last.
USA Today's data for the 50 worst cities for potholes included Springfield, Mass. (37th), but did not include Boston. However, Boston 311 data showed that there have already been 1,856 requests to repair potholes across the city this year through Feb. 20.
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Potholes can be more than just inconvenient. The average pothole car repair bill is $460, said USA Today.
The damage caused by potholes particularly affected this person, who shared a story about a pothole incident. “Put it this way, I hit one so bad on 95 by the Walpole exit that I broke a spring in my suspension. I was really upset.”
Another person shared how difficult it is to avoid potholes. “They come up on you so fast, you don’t see it. I blew a [tire] sidewall one day,” which cost upwards of $500 dollars, they said.
To avoid dealing with the expensive and inconvenient consequences of potholes, AAA advised that keeping your tires properly inflated can help avoid getting a flat tire from a pothole. Also, if you can’t avoid going through a pothole, AAA said to slow down, release the brakes and straighten the steering wheel just before impact.
WBZ NewsRadio's Chris Fama (@CFamaWBZ) reports.
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