Brooklyn – Councilman David G. Greenfield announced today a partnership with Chaveirim, a volunteer group providing emergency automobile assistance and other important services to the community, that will help address the increasingly hazardous pothole situation in Boro Park and Midwood. Following severe winter weather in December and January, the nearly one thousand miles of roadway across the city were left damaged. Despite the Department of Transportation’s efforts to repair roadways – filling well over 150,000 potholes since January 1 – the pothole problems persist.

“I think you would be hard-pressed to find a single stretch of roadway in this city that wasn’t left with some pothole damage,” said Councilman Greenfield. “I’ve received hundreds of complaints in the last few months about the state of the streets in my district. When I relayed my concerns to the Department of Transportation, I was told that despite increased resources the greatest impediment to fixing streets is not knowing where to find the damage. That is why I am teaming up with Chaveirim to find dangerous potholes and report the locations directly to DOT. If we can help speed up the repair process, we can avoid unnecessary damage to vehicles and undue costs and inconvenience to drivers.”

Potholes are formed because of thawing and refreezing throughout the winter months. When snow and ice melt, the resulting water seeps into existing cracks in the pavement caused by the normal wear and tear of traffic. When temperatures dip below freezing, the water re-freezes and expands, causing the pavement to rise. When temperatures increase and thawing occurs again, the raised pavement then sinks and is further driven down by the weight of passing cars, resulting in a pothole. Potholes vary in size and depth, but the larger the pothole, the more damage it is likely to cause.

“As an organization that assists distressed vehicles, Chaveirim understands the hazards potholes pose to drivers,” said Chaveirim founder Rabbi Aron Y. Kohn. “That is why we are pleased to partner with Councilman Greenfield’s office to try to speed up street repairs in the community. Our volunteers will, as they drive the streets assisting drivers, report the locations of potholes to our dispatch who will then relay the information to Councilman Greenfield’s office. I applaud the Councilman for taking the initiative to streamline the reporting process. I am hopeful that by working together, the community will soon have more drivable streets.”

Aside from locating potholes, DOT is also struggling to keep up with the volume of pothole reports. Councilman Greenfield intends to work with the DOT to ensure that they fill existing potholes in a timely manner and that hazardous road conditions don’t fall through the cracks.

“Not only do potholes damage vehicles, but they also pose a risk to pedestrians and cyclists,” noted Councilman Greenfield. “I think the only beneficiaries of potholes are the auto shops that are repairing tires and front-end damage to vehicles, which can easily cost drivers hundreds of dollars. Chaveirim’s amazing volunteers are the go-to guys for all car emergencies. Working together, we hope to prevent many of these emergencies from happening in the first place,” Greenfield concluded.

(YWN Desk – NYC)