As many as 14 vehicles at once with flat tires from Team Gushue Highway pothole, says driver

As many as 14 vehicles were pulled over with flat tires Tuesday night, after hitting the same pothole on the Team Gushue Highway, says a driver who lost a rear tire.

Robert Hoban was exiting the Outer Ring Road onto the Gushue Highway southbound when his rear passenger tire was busted.

We couldn't find a place to pull in on the side of the road.- Robert Hoban

"We noticed this sort of line of cars down the road all pulled off on the side of the road and I'm thinking, what's going on?" said Hoban.

Potholes claim tires, damage rims in St. John's area

8 years ago

Duration 2:15

Potholes caused by the post-winter freeze and thaw have been damaging vehicles. The CBC's Mark Quinn speaks with Walter Harding, who works at a garage in St. John's.

"And then I hear the bump, bump, bump of the wheel and realize that this is what's happened."

Not enough room on side of the road

The conditions were wet, rainy and dark on a section of the road that isn't well lit, Hoban said.

"If someone comes around that turn and actually loses control, because it is on a turn, with a flat tire — it could have been a potentially hazardous situation," Hoban told CBC's St. John's Morning Show.

"People swerving, maybe trying to avoid it, with the line of cars on the side of the road last evening it was absolutely dangerous. We counted 14 vehicles. We couldn't find a place to pull in on the side of the road."

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Hoban and his wife managed to get their minivan, with one flat tire, into the nearby Kent parking lot to change the tire.

The tire was completely busted on the side, Hoban said, and there's about a three-inch dent in the rim.

As for signage warning drivers of the pothole, Hoban said when he was driving through, there was "absolutely nothing," and he hopes the province "gets their act together" to do repairs.

'A real challenge'

The provincial government said it expected to start repairs to the Team Gushue Highway on Wednesday afternoon and continue into the evening.

In a statement, the Department of Transportation and Works said that potholes were "a real challenge," given the climate in the province.

"Every year at this time, we experience significant potholes around the province," wrote Brian Scott, a spokeperson for the province. "‎Crews have been working over the past week, as weather conditions allow, to make repairs"

Scott also said the department was participating in cross-Canada projects to develop pothole mitigation and repair strategies.

Tips to keep costs down

Fixing pothole damage can cost hundreds of dollars, said Walter Harding of Royal Garage.

"Rims are the biggest problem because they are so expensive," he said. "Then there is the hidden damages — the front end damages, the tie rod end, the ball joints, the control arms."

Harding, who is also running for a seat on St. John's city council, said he's never seen potholes as bad as this winter.

"The quality of the asphalt, maybe even the quality of the bedding, isn't what it was before."

If you run over a crater, he advises you spend money on a wheel alignment even if there is no obvious damage, to save having to replace tires later on, and check to make sure tires are properly inflated.

The Team Gushue potholes, meanwhile, are a hot topic on Twitter, as drivers post warnings and news of their own misadventures.