Dangerous pothole gets repaired on Forrest Road after Columbus residents complain

Motorists who travel a stretch of Forrest Road near Avalon Road can breathe a sigh of relief after a dangerous pothole was repaired more than a week ago, Columbus officials said.

The Public Works Department of the Columbus Consolidated Government launched a search for the responsible party after complaints were sent to the city manager’s office. At the same time, a reader with a new 2017 Nissan was hot about the road possibly damaging the front-end alignment on his vehicle with only 7,000 miles on it.

City crews need to realize the roads in neighborhoods are important, he said. “You can’t go down the street without tearing your car up,” said the 80-year-old resident who lives off Forrest Road. “It’s ridiculous.”

Pat Biegler, director of Public Works, said the staff did respond to the report of a dangerous pothole west of Avalon Road. The break in the asphalt turned out to be a utility cut from the Columbus Water Works. “We notified engineering who monitors the right of way to get the Water Works to get it repaired,” Biegler said.

Potholes usually occur when there is a disruption in the surface of a roadway where a portion of a road material has broken away and left a hole. The potholes may appear from a utility cut in the asphalt or can be a cave in from rain water. “Generally they will respond immediately to check those out to determine the source of the problem,” Biegler said. “We turn it over to the appropriate party.”

Biegler has a crew to tackle potholes throughout the city. Last year, the crew had 2,145 calls about potholes which were repaired. During the summer months, the city responds within three days on the calls and two days during the winter months when it can get difficult to heat up asphalt and repair an area.

According to traffic counts from the Georgia Department of Transportation, the section near Avalon Road handles 10,400 to 12,400 vehicles daily. There may be more than one vehicle out of line.

The concerned resident has some ideas on how to get the potholes repaired before they damage a vehicle. “Let someone ride the street and see how it looks,” he said of roadway conditions. “It’s just a simple equation to get something done. It knocks our cars out of balance.”

Forrest Road is not the only corridor battling problems with potholes. The longtime resident and other motorists said there are areas along Macon Road, the south end of Veterans Parkway, Airport Thruway , among others needing work. “I don’t want to have a new car and have front-end trouble,” he said.

Officials note that Macon Road and Veterans Parkway are managed by the Georgia Department of Transportation. Residents with concerns about neighborhood streets need to report the areas to 311, the Citizens Service Center. Public Works will be notified to make the needed repairs and patches, said Farhad AliFarhani, assistant engineering director/traffic engineering manager for the Consolidated Government.

In my view, I think potholes are down right evil for what they do to your nerves and the condition of maybe your new vehicle. They don’t discriminate among drivers who fail to dodge them on the roadways.

If you’ve seen something that needs attention, give me a call at 706-571-8576.

This story was originally published December 10, 2018 at 11:04 AM.