For Morgantown drivers, potholes are a pain in the asphalt

This past winter in Morgantown has been one of the worst the city has seen in quite some time.

The class cancellations seemed to number more than they had in the previous three years combined. This winter took more than a toll on the University, though.

The city took a large hit, and we are still feeling the consequences.

Recently, a story was run in this newspaper about $337,540.47 spent on plowing and snow removal, which was the most the city has had to spend in quite some time.

Though the need for plowing seems to have passed, the roads are littered with constant reminders of the winter – potholes.

Unfortunately, the streetpaving projects will not begin until summer, and until then, the potholes will be filled with asphalt.

To add onto this problem, asphalt plants are not yet open and roads cannot be completely repaved until area temperatures consistently stay above freezing.

In essence, it appears the city is doing nothing to try and fix the problem.

This year the problem has reached a whole new level. The potholes situation seems to be much worse than it has in previous years.

A good example is the near-crater that formed on University Avenue, which took far too long to fix.

If it took so long just to lay something down over one of our busiest streets, how long will it take for them to do anything about the many smaller streets throughout the city?

Falling Run Road and Stewartstown Road feel like you are constantly driving over rumble strips in a tank.

This is not just another minor annoyance that you have to go along with for living in Morgantown, though, it is a hazard.

In the situations we dealt with all winter, when ice was a constant threat, it was unsafe to have so many large potholes littering the road and it was just asking for an accident to take place.

Not to mention the fact that there is probably no one in this city whose car is actually in alignment at this point.

The problem is only worsened by the many narrow roads that exist in Morgantown. Driving around the potholes is not an option when you have oncoming traffic on a road that barely fits two cars.

The city needs to fix this problem, if not only for the safety of its citizens, but to protect itself. If the potholes continued to go unfilled or uncovered, cars are going to receive real damage, and the last thing the city needs is people coming after them for compensation for damages.

There may not be any asphalt to use yet, but there must be some other option. Temporarily fill the holes with gravel or cover some of the worst areas with the thick sheets of metal we so often see as a fix.

Either of these would be better options.

Obviously, the city has a budget they set every year to fix these problems, so they do not have unlimited resources.

But they also set aside emergency funds every year for overages or other problems that may arise.

Keeping cars from careening off the road and avoiding unnecessary damages seem like just such an emergency.

The citizens of Morgantown cannot be expected to have to suck it up and end up having to pay when their vehicles inevitably need work done because of these potholes.

They have already had to pay to fix the problem in the form of taxes.