LA rain: Potholes causing havoc for drivers

LOS ANGELES - Have you hit one yet? Potholes which are popping up again with the recent rains.  We followed crews from California Paving and Grading which contracts with cities all over SoCal to repair what seems to be a never ending problem.

Field crew supervisor Mike Casillas says part of the problem is that too often some cities don't take the extra time to really clean up the potholes and use hot emulsion to path the old and new asphalt to create stronger bonds and reduce the likelihood of the same potholes reopening when there is more rain.

But street repair crews from LA city, county and Caltrans, explain that during emergency repairs, there is no time to stop traffic for the longer time it takes to do hot emulsions. The focus is on fixing the roads as best they can and get traffic moving again, especially on highly trafficked roads and highways.

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As it is, during last year's record-breaking rains, Caltrans was filling about 600 potholes a week in LA County, and LA City was getting 1,100 requests for service within a week.

With more and heavier rain in the forecast, the potholes you are already trying to avoid will probably get bigger.

One thing people can do is report them before they get bigger. Drivers can get pothole caused tire damage refunds, for example, but only if the pothole in question has been reported and not fixed.

It's also a good idea to avoid the lanes that tend to have the most potholes: those used by trucks regularly (the slower lanes closer to exits).

In the city of LA, the best way to report a pothole or complete a street repair is by calling 311.