What's bugging you? Southland potholes

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Potholes and road repairs slow you down and cost you money. Viewers told Eyewitness News that is what's bugging them. Here's what it takes to get them fixed.

If your ride feels a little bumpier, blame it on the potholes. Eyewitness News has received a lot of e-mails from viewers who say there are a lot more potholes. They're probably right. All those storms are leaving our roads in ruins.

"I think it's really terrible. It damages our cars constantly," said motorist Sofia Esparza. "Plus, in addition, it's highly unsafe for people when they're driving. Especially in the rain because you don't see them, and it can just veer you off."

How does this happen? Rainwater seeps through cracks and holes on the pavement. That makes the road weak and leads to more cracks and potholes. As cars go over it, it tears the road even more.

And you can get huge potholes that will send shockwaves through your car.

"It's really bad. Ever since the rain last week, it's horrible. All over the place, filled with water, rocks -- damages your car," said motorist Jonathan Delshad.

Delshad says that's exactly what happened to him driving over huge potholes near Wilshire Boulevard.

"When I took it to Firestone they said my rear shocks were leaking and it's usually caused by potholes," said Delshad. "It's really upsetting because I paid $650 to change my shocks, and I don't see why I have to pay for it when it's the city's fault. They never fixed it. I called them numerous times, sent them numerous e-mails. They never responded."

So Eyewitness News asked Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa about this, and he responded by saying: Don't expect these potholes to get fixed any time soon.

"I can tell you that with cuts and particularly with layoffs, there will be a diminution of city services, including the filling of potholes, the trimming of trees," said Villaraigosa.

It's not just the city of L.A. The pothole problem is all over Southern California. Caltrans is also trying fix them on our freeways. But there are simply too many potholes and not enough time or money.

"Yeah, bad roads. A lot of it is construction. They have the Expo Line coming in, et cetera, so it's just a lot of 'bumpity, bumpity, bumpity,'" said motorist Billy Henderson.

If you drive over some big potholes you should report it. But getting them repaired might take some time.

"We are going to try to minimize that because that's a priority core service of ours, but there are going to be cuts," said Mayor Villaraigosa.

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be much money on the horizon, so your car potentially could be one more casualty of the current budget crisis.

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