Potholes Multiplying in Danbury

Danbury's 311 telephone number is getting swamped with pothole complaints from people calling in problems on King Street, Osborne, Virginia, Locust, Stadley Rough, Eagle Road, Tamarack and Aunt Hack.

More people call every day.

"They're angry because potholes are dangerous, and they're risking damage to their car," said Jeff Preston, the city's community conditions worker who answers the city's 311 call line. "It's worse in the rain, because the water disguises the potholes as puddles."

Alexandra Edwards wrote in the comments, "This is so true especially for Stadley Rough Road. It's more like off-road riding."

The city is fighting the potholes daily by sending out Highway workers with a filler called "cold patch." Unfortunately, everyone agrees cold patch is a temporary fix. As soon as it rains, cold patch washes out of the potholes. Look closely at the pothole photographs and you can see the gravel spread around it. That is the cold patch that washed out of the holes.

"We can't put real asphalt into the holes, because the asphalt plants are closed until April," said Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton.

Boughton said the city is going to test a new plastic emulsion patch this week that would cost the city $60,000 to $70,000, but it would fill the potholes more permanently in the winter.

"We've already used 20 tons of cold patch, and we're sending people out to fill the holes every day. Often we're filling holes we already filled a few days ago," Boughton said. "That also costs money."