COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (KRDO) — Some residents are so frustrated with crumbling roads and potholes that they are taking matters into their own hands.
And they find creative ways to do it.
On the east side of the intersection of Voyager Parkway and Democracy Point in the northeast part of the city, Braxton Lollis admits he used nearby garden stones to fill a large pothole in the right-turn lane.
While the stones do not provide a perfect solution, they at least mitigate the shocks from the vehicle’s tires.
“It happened one night a few weeks ago when I was driving through here,” he recalled. “I saw the biggest crater I’ve seen in the year and a half I’ve been in Colorado Springs. If I had hit that pothole, it would have thrown me off my bike and caused thousands of dollars in damage. Cars could have been damaged. I felt like I had to do something. If the city doesn’t want me to fill potholes myself, then they should do something about it – like fill the potholes.”
However, this strategy does not help close the numerous other potholes and repair the crumbling asphalt in both directions of Democracy Point – nor does it make them easier to avoid.
The road leads into the relatively new residential and commercial district of Victory Ridge. Most of the streets within the district are paved or concrete, but connect to the crumbling asphalt.
“Everything up here in the Interquest area is new construction,” said Chris Velazquez as he drove through Democracy Point on Sunday. “So why is the road in such bad shape? That’s a good question.”
This is not the first time a citizen has patched a pothole in their neighborhood; recently, someone filled a pothole on De Sol Road, north of Academy Boulevard and Austin Bluffs Parkway, with cement.
The condition of De Sol is just as poor as Democracy Point. One homeowner stated that there have been little to no street improvements in De Sol since she moved in in 1989.
“I think I support extending the 2C (extended road paving program) this fall,” she said. “I’m just wondering why they didn’t fix that road. They repaved Austin Bluffs nearby this summer, and it wasn’t necessary.”
KRDO13 contacted city authorities about Democracy Point and a spokesperson said they would investigate the matter and try to provide a response later Monday.
A few months ago, a viewer contacted The Road Warrior and asked if citizens are legally allowed to fill potholes in the city. A city spokesperson’s answer was “no,” because pothole repair requires a permit that is not available to the public.
