Potholes 'crazy,' says N.L. driver who lost 2 wheels in 1 month

A driver in St. John's says he's out hundreds of dollars due topotholes, but fears the worst is yet to come.

Both of Mackenzie Graham's front tires were flattened in the past three weeks when he struck potholes first on Manuel's Access Road and then on PittsMemorial Drive near St. John's.

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Graham says he's out at least $300, butsomeone else could have easily flipped their vehicle on the same stretch of Pitts Memorial Drive where he broke down.

"For me, I'm a little bit more of a confident driver, so I hit that, I know how to react," he said Tuesday. "You have an old lady coming down here on a dimly lit off-rampnavigating these holes, hit that, jerks the wheel, I mean that could flip the car. It's not impossible."

"You could have lost your car in the pothole, I'm not kidding."

2 tires, 1 month

The latest accident happened Monday night, Graham says, as he was "heading down to pick up a couple of ladies from Shamrock City."

Graham hit a potholenear the St. John's end of Pitts Memorial Drive, just a few metres before the Water Street East/Harbour Drive turnoff.

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He claims he pulled over his car, and learned the "Good Samaritans" who helped him out had also just hit a pothole on that same section of road. He says it's not that rare and says his next-door neighbour hit the very same pothole that he did.

He says the situation on the roads is "crazy."

Graham says both that pothole, and the one on the Manuels Access Road, were unmarked. On the Manuels Access Road in particular, he said the low lighting made the holes hard to see.

Graham works at a restaurant on Harbour Drive and takes Pitts Memorial Drive frequently. He'd like to see changes to road maintenance.

"I don't know if they're just being ignorantor if they really don't care if people are just driving around dodging potholes at 80 kilometres an hour," he said.

"It's a flat tire this time, it could be someone dead next time."

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The commuter says for all the taxes being paid in Newfoundland and Labrador, some overnight paving and road work should be done.

"Give us a decent stretch that I don't have to Mario Kart my way down," he said.

The department of transportation said Tuesday afternoon that staff were aware of the pothole, and expected to have it fixed on Wednesday.

In the meantime, appropriate warning signs are now place.