PARMA, Ohio — It’s that time of year again when Northeast Ohio roads are riddled with potholes following a rough winter season.
At this point, you’re more than likely trying to dodge them, or maybe you’re getting ready to shell out some serious cash to pay for new tires and car repairs.
Drivers in Parma expressed serious frustration to News 5.
They're calling for a permanent fix as soon as possible.
Parma officials say they're actively working through the process.
They're taking every complaint to heart and working to patch as many potholes as possible and repave several streets across the area.
They're rolling out an aggressive plan to fix the roads during the 2023 and 2024 calendar years.
When longtime Parma resident Andrea Paulus sees potholes and poorly patched spots in her neighborhood, she admittedly sees red for a number of reasons.
"They're terrible. They're terrible!" Andrea Paulus of Parma said.
She says one of the worst roads in the area is Westminster Drive.
"You hit a pothole, and you think your tires are gonna go flat," Paulus said.
It's a busy cut-through drivers often use to get to West Ridgewood Drive or Pearl Road.
Paulus showed News 5 countless potholes, divots, and ripped open roadways there.
One of the potholes that just opened up was roughly two feet wide and several inches deep. Steps away located on a tree lawn, News 5 found four chunks of the road that once covered the hole.
Several more potholes were filled with water and were often hard to see when driving past them.
"You can literally fit the construction barrel in the middle of it. That's how big it is," Paulus said.
Quinton Lawman who lives nearby says he's experienced his fair share of issues over the years, as well.
"On our old car, the top suspension tower actually broke. I had to replace it," Lawman said.
Over along Bertha Avenue, Harold Scheely said he's been dodging potholes in the city for 30 years.
He said Brookpark Road was perhaps one of the worst across the area.
"All they do is patch them, and then the patch comes right up," Scheely said.
Parma city officials say they're addressing each and every concern.
A spokesperson told News 5:
"As the seventh largest city with more than 500 miles of roadway, city service crews are daily patching roadways needing attention from the winter season. Patch material is heated nightly in a hotbox trailer and used when needed. Fortunately, temperatures and snowfall amounts have been mild, providing crews with a jump on the patching season.
Residents should contact the service department through resident services to report any roadway conditions needing maintenance or patching. In spring, the city will begin its neighborhood streets repaving program, spending $4 million on 55 streets over a two-year period."
Crews working along Bertha Avenue confirmed to News 5 they are raising the catch basins and manhole covers to prepare for upcoming road paving.
It's bringing a sense of relief but cautious optimism for many.
"Do the right thing for your citizens. Make it a nice area to live again. I know they're busy, but we need this," Paulus said.
Here are the 55 streets scheduled for repaving during 2023 and 2024:
Bertha Avenue (Ridge Road to Chestnut Hills), Twin Lakes (Westminster Drive to Thornton Drive), Westminster Drive (Twin Lakes to West Ridgewood Drive), Freehold Avenue (State Road to Daleside Drive), Sheraton Avenue (State Road to dead end), West 45th Street (Brookpark Road to Woodway Avenue), West 16th Street (Brookdale Avenue to Wexford Avenue), Hearthstone Road (State Road to South Park Boulevard).
Old Rockside Road (Broadview Road to dead end), Sanford Drive (Coral Gables Drive to Cocoa Drive), Coral Gables Drive (State Road to cul-de-sac), Pinehurst Drive (Ames Road to Pecan Drive), Loyola Drive (West 54th Street to dead end), Fordham Drive (Loyola Drive to dead end), List Lane (Sprague Road to West List Lane), Wake Robin Drive (Pleasant Valley Road to Pin Oak Drive), East Linden Lane (Sprague Road to Millerwood Lane).
Parma officials are encouraging residents to report potholes and any problem spots directly to the city.
You can fill out this complaint form or you can call Resident Services to file a complaint here: 440-885-8083.
