Liverpool, N.Y. (NCC News) – Spring is almost in the air, and there are plenty of reasons to get excited.
But there’s also a negative side to spring, particularly for drivers: bad road conditions that can hurt their wallets.
“This is based on 2022, on average the vehicle repair cost was a little over 400 dollars,” said Valerie Puma, communications specialist at AAA Western and Central New York.
Because of the warmer winter Central New York had this year, pothole season is coming earlier than expected.
“Any of that moisture that got into the pavement during that colder season, now that it has expanded, contracted, it’s melting away,” Puma said.
According to Jon Carroll, operations assistant manager at AAA Western and Central New York, local drivers report tire concerns more than anyone else.
“About 14% of all calls were tire-related,” Carroll said. “Whereas the national average was about 12% of all calls are tire-related.”
There are reasons for optimism, however.
Carroll says as long as drivers keep their tires safe, there’s no reason to panic.
“A properly inflated tire can be the difference of a tire going flat from hitting a pothole and, you know, being able to withstand the impact from a pothole,” Carroll said.
TRIP, a non-profit national transportation organization, also wants to get involved.
According to a TRIP report finding, Rocky Moretti, Director of Policy and Research at TRIP, said 44% of roads in Syracuse are in either poor or mediocre condition.
Moretti believes cost-effective roadway safety improvements is the best way for governments to fix the issue.
SyrCityLine keeps information about potholes in the area. Besides just collecting data, the website allows residents to report any incidents relating to poor road conditions to promote awareness about the issue
