Pothole problems plague stretch of road

HOUSTON This stretch of Beechnut near Boone Road in southwest Houston is known for sending drivers bouncing out of their seats.

"The street is still tore up and tears up a lot of suspensions on cars," said Frank Rollins.

He should know. Just this week, his son blew out two tires and bent a back rim. Cell phone pictures show the three foot long pothole, several inches deep.

"I jacked the car up, replaced the front tire, went to go get the back tire replaced, and the guy at the tire place told me that the rim was bent and that air wouldn't hold," said Rollins.

Now he is shelling out $200 for repairs and new tires. It's something tire shop owner Javier Agudelo hears every day. Working just feet away, the blowouts rumble through his shop.

"We can hear them hit the pothole pretty hard, the loud noise and hear the air come out of the tires," said Agudelo of the South Wayside Tire Center.

This week alone, he's repaired five bent rims and a couple of blowouts.

"A customer brought it in this morning. She apparently hit yesterday in the afternoon," Agudelo said.

In fact, the center median is littered with casualties of war with the road. Once Eyewitness News contacted the city Friday morning, the pothole was filled.

Houston City Council Member Al Hoang, whose district the road falls in, has taken a call or two.

"We got a couple of complaints about potholes," said Hoang.

While residents are glad it's been topped off with asphalt, they say it's a temporary patch. After a good rain and a few rush hours, it will be back to its tire blowing depth. But Hoang says a long-term solution is on the drawing board.

"There will be a new reconstruction on Beechnut," said Hoang.

More than a mile of Beechnut from Wilcrest to Cook will receive a newly paved road, curbs and lights. It's being designed right now and a construction date is still in the works.

However, Rollins just wishes it would have been sooner.

"You pay your taxes and then you have to come out with a $200 expense," Rollins said.

If you encounter a major pothole, you can call 311, your local council person or the Public Works Department. We're told if it's deemed an emergency it could be repaired in 48 hours. In extreme cases, you could be reimbursed by the city for repairs to your vehicle.