PORTLAND, Oregon — It's no secret that many roads in Portland are in rough shape, lined with potholes, delamination, ruts and failing expansion joints. Pick a road; Northwest 23rd Avenue between Lovejoy and Thurman, Southwest Broadway, Southwest Fourth Avenue through downtown, Northwest Kittridge between Front Ave and Highway 30, etc.
The list goes on, but that last spot in particular stands out thanks to a few failing expansion joints that are jarring to the thousands of cars and heavy trucks that cross the overpass everyday. It's been part of Ian Moore's regular commute for the last 8 years.
"I’ve seen hammers, shovels, buckets, just hopping out of peoples cars when they hit those bumps," he said.
When KGW visited the spot two days ago, there were bolts and other metal fixtures scattered across the road, some even embedded within the asphalt patching.
"Every time something hits that bump, you get nails and screws all over the road, and there’s a nice screw lodged right in there," Moore said, pointing to one of his tires.
Moore said he's poured thousands of dollars into repairing suspension components on his SUV, showing off a series of invoices — $7,000 for tie-rods and wheel bearings, $2,000 for shock absorber repairs, and so on.
KGW reached out to the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) about this spot in particular, and the department's email response indicated that PBOT is aware of the joints and planning a short-term solution in January, while awaiting more favorable weather in the spring and summer of 2024 for a substantial repair.
On the greater topic of potholes, PBOT said their crews filled more than 13,000 of them between June 2022 and 2023, at a cost of $2.8 million. In the agency's proposed 2024-2028 Fixing Our Streets Measure, there's a $5.5 million allocation for potholes, so the shortfall would have to be made up through General Transportation Revenues.
I do the Driving Me Crazy feature as a generally — but not always — light-hearted take on things that drive people nuts on the roads. Most of us can relate, and most of these topics are your ideas. What drives you crazy? Post your videos, photos, and comments on my social media: Facebook, X, Instagram. Or if you're just antisocial, you can email me: cmcginness@kgw.com.