Every winter season, potholes are a major problem for drivers and bikers in Boston. Although the Boston Department of Public Works is taking some initiative to plug in the holes, many Boston University students complain that the city’s actions so far have not measured up to the size of the pothole problem.
Potholes form starting with water from rain and snow, according to Joseph Casazza, commissioner of the Public Works Department. Water gets underneath the pavement, freezes and expands. If the temperature fluctuates drastically overnight, like Boston’s temperature has this winter, the frost will come out of the earth too quickly, he said.
‘This year, ‘frosties’ are a bigger problem than ever,’ Casazza said. ‘Because of the many freeze and thaw cycles, the frost is deeper in the ground now than it has been in the past years.’
The state set up a hot line to help drivers and bikers report potholes. City workers in 25 crews are on call to fill holes from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
‘We get the word out to the crews and they get to the problem relatively quickly,’ Casazza said. ‘It’s a nuts and bolts kind of operation.’
But many students complain that the bolts are not being fastened quickly enough. Ethan Goldwater, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, said riding his bike this time of year is dangerous.
‘Today I rode from Inman Square to Allston,’ he said. ‘Along the way, I tried to avoid a pothole, and got bumped by a car.’
Hillel Bavli, a CAS senior, said he also worries about riding his bike around the BU area.
‘I am almost struck by cars on Commonwealth Avenue on a daily basis,’ he exclaimed. ‘I try to steer clear of gigantic potholes on the side of the road, but that forces me to ride in the middle of the street.’
Bikers are not the only people whose trips are complicated by uneven roads. Ori Fox, a senior in CAS, said that even when traveling a short distance in his car, he comes across many hollows in the pavement.
‘Driving home just from West Campus to South Campus, I stumble over numerous potholes,’ he said. ‘The car could be ruined by driving five blocks it’s ridiculous.’
Despite the Public Works Department’s efforts to even out the roads, potholes remain a problem to students and everyone in the city. This year, potholes are bigger and form faster. There are too many to be taken care of at once, which is cause for concern, according to students.
‘The city really needs to do something about it before someone gets seriously injured or worse,’ Bavli said.