A new study by QuoteWizard has ranked Nashville as having the worst pothole problem in the entire nation.
Each state’s pothole-related complaints and repairs were analyzed by the online auto insurance comparison platform and received a ranking. The group used Google search statistics to rank each area with a search index average which represents the number of queries in a particular state or location compared to other states.
Nashville ranked first on the list of worst U.S. cities for pothole damage with a search index average of 57. Spokane, Washington ranked second on the list with a search index average of 50 while Yakima, Washington ranked third on the list with a search index average of 49.
QuoteWizard also ranked states based on worst pothole damage, where Tennessee placed ninth on the list with a search index average of 29. Michigan ranked first on the list with a search index average of 44. Indiana and Rhode Island were next on the list both with search index averages of 41.
The state of Tennessee has long history of struggle with the management and regular repair of potholes.
In January, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announced a $3.3 million plan to repair potholes on state highways, citing damage from back-to-back winter storms, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star.
Then in June, TDOT announced a new hotline for drivers to report potholes as part of the ongoing effort to battle potholes on Tennessee roadways. TDOT said Tennesseans can call 833-TDOTFIX (836-8349) to report potholes and other roadway maintenance related issues.
“We all know it’s been a terrible year for potholes and here at TDOT we are always looking for ways to improve our customer service,” TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley said at the time. “For the citizens, this hotline will give them another convenient way to report maintenance problems on our interstates and state routes. For TDOT, this centralized way of receiving, processing, and tracking information will enhance our operations.”
According to QuoteWizard, a few ways drivers can best protect their cars from potholes include:
- Properly inflate tires to minimize pothole damage
- Drive on sufficient tires with deep tread grooves
- If a pothole is unavoidable, slow down, keep their foot off the brake pedal, and try to straighten the steering wheel before impact.
In addition to calling 833-TDOTFIX (836-8349), Tennesseans can go online at https://www.tn.gov/tdot/maintenance/maintenance-request.html to report potholes and other roadway maintenance related issues to TDOT.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
what do you expect from Trashville USA
TDOT isn’t getting the job done. Dissolve the agency and let the General Assembly take over.
Apparently TDOT employees are blind. Do they not travel on these state roads that are filled with potholes .Why is it up to the travelling motorists to report the potholes? I recently travelled from Nashville to Bowling Green ,Ky on IS 65. The road in Tennessee was appalling(pieces of damaged truck tires everywhere as well as litter and debris. You don’t need a sign to know you are crossing into Kentucky. Their roads are litter free and well kept. The closer you get to Nashville the more litter and debris are on the highway. Check out any of Nashville’s freeways ( IS 65, IS 40, IS 24, Etc.) they are all covered in litter, potholes and road debris . Evidently TDOT doesn’t know Nashville is the “it city “. Your tax dollars wasted on government incompetence ! Thank you Gov. Lee .
Beam me up Scottie !
Why did the study not include Louisiana cities and those in Oklahoma. I was in Tulsa last winter and it was like the roads had been bombed in a war. Just another biased “study”.
Worse than Newark, NJ’s streets and roads? Aw, c’mon!
It’s what happens when government prioritizes the spending of ‘big bucks’ for the construction of professional sports stadiums (yes, plural, such as NFL football, soccer, NASCAR, maybe even MLB) instead of spending for the more boring necessities like the infrastructure required just to make a city livable (wait until the aging Metro municipal water supply system stops ‘working’–you will really see a crisis then–and ALL of the people of the State of Tennessee will then be required to pay to assist ‘The Capitol City’ in paying for this ‘little’ necessity). And I have not even mentioned things like education spending including the construction of needed new school buildings, and the full funding of the inadequately funded Metro employees’ pension system. And before he was elected, Mayor Cooper was touted as a financial genius. What a ‘load of hooey’! No, you ‘ain’t’ seen nothing yet! (excuse my ‘French”)
Kentucky roads are nice. Just sayin’