RIDOT Addresses Route 146 Pothole Problems

January 25, 2019 5:36 pm

Tim Studebaker

By: Tim Studebaker

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – The thump as you hit a pothole…

“On an average day, probably about 5 or 6 between Warwick and Providence,” says Dan Greaves of Warwick.

And the hiss of a flat tire…

“Damaged the tires and rims. I had to replace the rim. It was like $500,” says Darrell Branch of Providence.

Add more than 30 people to a growing list of frustrated Rhode Island commuters thanks to a pothole problem Thursday in a construction zone on Route 146 northbound in North Smithfield. This comes exactly a year after a similar incident popped tires on more than ten cars along that same stretch of road.

RIDOT Director Peter Alviti says, “The underlying pavement, the concrete pavement under this section of highway there is over 50 years old.”

RIDOT says they were first notified early Thursday morning of a large pothole popping tires and damaging rims, and they began making temporary repairs.

Alviti says, “It was found that they just couldn’t keep up with the number of potholes that had opened up in that area with the material that they were using, which they were limited to using.”

That forced a lane closure by the evening commute. A longer term fix is planned for Saturday, when the materials they need are available, with a complete overhaul planned in the coming years.

In the meantime, the state is reimbursing drivers affected in Thursday’s incident for repair costs. Because it happened in a construction zone, state law allows RIDOT to reimburse more than the typical $300 limit. But, you need to notify the state within one week.

Here’s a link to the claim form: http://www.dot.ri.gov/about/claims.php