MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Over the next few days, Tennessee drivers will need to keep a closer eye on the road. Repair crews are working to fix bumps left by January's winter storm.
“We don’t typically have a whole week's worth of harsh cold,” said Nichole Lawrence, the Tennessee Department of Transportation's Community Relations Officer. “The freeze-thaw cycle then turns into, getting in those cracks and popping out potholes, and making issues for the pavement.”
TDOT and the city of Memphis are among the groups ramping up efforts to fix potholes in the coming days. Memphis officials told ABC24 they have doubled crews addressing the issue, filling the potholes in temporarily, with a plan to permanently address them in the spring or summer.
“You could expect some short-term lane closures, and just remember it’s the law, move over, slow down,” said Lawrence.
The city of Memphis said it tries to fix a pothole within 10 days.
Mechanics said hitting a pothole the wrong way can damage a car's tires and suspension.
“You can take it to a shop. We can diagnose it, look at it, and see what the problem is,” said Conrad Jones, Raleigh Tire Service Center Service Manager.
Jones said documentation is going to be the best tool when going to your insurance company, or filing a claim with TDOT or the city who manages the road.
“A lot of things can be misconstrued, conversations, things of that nature. You want to keep a document of everything that you do with your automobile,” said Jones.
When filing a claim, the documentation required will change depending on whether the pothole that damaged your vehicle was located on a city or state owned road.
The city of Memphis lists these requirements to file a claim for potholes, which can be filed using THIS LINK:
- A copy of a state-issued ID (ex. Driver’s license) for an individual OR a W-9 form for a business or company (for ALL claims)
- Two legitimate estimates of damages OR receipts of damage repairs (for property damage/loss claims)
- Unaltered copies of all medical bills or other related expenses (for bodily injury claims)
- Copy of police report (if available)
- Photographs of defect (if available)
- Photographs of damages (if available)
- Statements from witness(es) (if available)
- Any other documents that will support the claim (if available)
The Tennessee Department of Treasury lists the following requirements for a claim, which can be filed using THIS LINK:
- Proof of the incident directly causing the alleged damage;
- The exact location where the incident occurred and records of your repairs;
- Evidence that the state was aware of the dangerous road condition prior to your incident;
- Evidence that the state could have repaired the dangerous road condition prior to your incident and neglected to do so.
