391 reports of potholes across Bay Area in last 12 days, Caltrans says
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The wet and windy weather has caused massive pothole problems across Bay Area roadways in every city and county.
We spoke with Caltrans and those that are now having to dish out hundreds of dollars to fix their vehicles.
"I heard like a loud pop and I never had a tire pop before, this is my first experience, but I knew something was off because my car started veering towards the left," said Kerry Leu who was headed home from the gym Wednesday night when it happened. Leu hit a pothole coming from San Francisco as she exited Interstate 280 on Mission Street in route to Daly City.
"When I exited my tire popped! It was so loud. The pothole was big and I shouldn't have driven home but I did," said Leu.
She made it home but that was not the case for many other individuals Wednesday night. More than two dozen drivers hit that same pothole Kerry did on that same southbound exit ramp near San Jose Avenue and Mission Street.
Caltrans tells us their crews are working 12-hour shifts to meet the demand.
In 2022, the nine Bay Area counties received 308 reports of potholes in the entire month of Jan.
In the first 12 days of 2023, Caltrans says they've received 391 reports of potholes and now more rain is on the way.
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"We're doing what we can and obviously doing the best that we can to make sure that the transportation system is operating safely and efficiently," said Vince Jacala of Caltrans.
When we spoke with Kerry she was actually at the repair shop getting a new tire.
"It's $324 to replace a tire. Luckily my rim was still intact and working so I just had to fix the tire, but it's still like a hefty bill to have to pay. I want to make sure my car is good to drive if I do need to go out again during the storm," said Leu.
Officials tells us these individuals can file claims with Caltrans to get compensated for the damage.
To file a claim for under $10,000, you can file a claim directly with Caltrans here.
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You can also call the main Caltrans Bay Area number in Oakland during business hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 510-286-4444.
If the claim is more than $10,000, the claims website has information for another department, the Government Claims Program in West Sacramento. That separate department handles the larger claims.
If you would like to request Caltrans Maintenance Service and not file a claim, you can report potholes, lights out, trees down, fence down, through the Caltrans Service Request (CSR) website here.
Or like claims, you can call the Caltrans Oakland office at 510-286-4444.
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