Bed-Stuy's Latest Snow Trouble: Potholes

The Blizzard of 2010 dealt Bed-Stuy a dirty little hand, beginning with 40-mile-an-hour winds and several feet of intractable snow. Things got worse, when streets went unplowed for three entire days, followed by a week of no trash collection, all of which was tail-ended by snowplows hurling dirty snow on top of cars newly exhumed but a few days earlier.

So, finally, the snow is melting and the streets are clearing, giving way to a fresh new batch of… potholes.

Take a drive eastward, down Greene Avenue, from Classon Avenue to Ralph Avenue, and experience some of the most exquisitely dangerous potholes in Bed-Stuy. But that’s not the only stretch of car-busting corridors. Potholes are plentiful all throughout Bed-Stuy, as most motorists will attest.

“I take the Williamsburg Bridge in from work everyday, and the drive from the bridge all the way down Nostrand is ridiculous,” said Michelline Chassagne, a Bed-Stuy resident. “It’s just a terrible pothole avenue. It has damaged my tires, and now my car is making this jingling noise. As a driver, you have to be attentive. But with the potholes in this city, you have to have complete control of the wheel.”

But most potholes are not caused by what most people think, which is roads over encumbered with heavy traffic; that’s only part of the story. Many of New York City’s potholes are formed when snowplows indiscriminately lift up loose areas of the street that have cracked as a result of weather changes or wear-and-tear.

“I think some streets have gotten worse,” said Chassagne. “I’m not sure where our tax dollars are going, but they aren’t going there.”

And with the snowplows and salt trucks now doing their job and another blizzard reportedly headed this way Wednesday, Bed-Stuy should start bracing now for the worst.

According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), if your vehicle is damaged by a pothole, you can file a claim with the City of New York. Visit the New York City Comptroller's website and use the claim form or call (212) 669-3500.

Once notified of a pothole, DOT will assess the degree of the damage, remove any excess material or debris from the hole and then square it off. After this, according to DOT's website, they will fill the hole with asphaltic cement. The materials is compacted and then re-sealed to prevent water from penetrating the hole.

If you didn’t know before, now you know: Bed-Stuy residents can report any pothole and be assured of at least one place where their tax dollars will be put to good use.