SAN ANTONIO – The Edwards Aquifer benefited from two days of rain, but the precipitation took its toll on roads across the area, including one entrance ramp of Interstate 35 where a deep pothole caused several flats Thursday night.
"Our guys are always out and about checking for potholes, especially with the rain we had the last two days," said Laura Lopez, with TxDOT. "Our folks were out there today (Friday) taking care of the areas where potholes did develop. This is something we're used to and it's something our folks are always out there expecting."
Late Thursday, over half a dozen drivers felt the effects of the heavy rain after a pothole on the I-35 northbound entrance ramp just past Rittiman Road flattened the front right tire of their vehicles.
"(I) just came on the entrance ramp, bam! And everything went flat. And I saw the flashing lights in front of me," said Terry Dawson, who said it had been decades since he last changed a flat tire.
"It was completely dark and it was just a big hit ... and we didn't know what happened," said Julia Lopez-Thornberry. "I thought we got hit."
Drivers can call 311 to report potholes on roads and those service calls will be directed to the city or TxDOT to make the repairs. Drivers who suffered the damage on Thursday were told they can file claims with TxDOT to possibly be reimbursed for damages caused by the pothole.
"Oh I think they should really fix this here because I'm not going to come out-of-pocket for this," said Keyosha Poindexter, whose wheel suffered a major dent due to the pothole.
"We do our best to try to get out there as quickly as possible, and with the amount of rain we had over the last two days we do have to wait until the road is completely dry for us to go out there and fix potholes," added Lopez.
The pothole at the entrance ramp was repaired by Friday afternoon.