Truck gets stuck in a doozy of a pothole in downtown Pottsville
Hole measures about 4 feet long and 2 feet wide
Mahantongo Street in Pottsville was the site of a subsidence on Friday.
Tom Whitaker, superintendent of streets, was called to the scene around 11 a.m., where the back-right tire of a Culligan Water truck had fallen through the ground in a parking area along Mahantongo Street.
The wheel was suspended about 6 inches into the hole, far enough that the truck couldn’t pull out without help from a tow truck.
The hole was about 4 feet long and 2 feet wide, and several feet deep.
The vehicle was driven from the scene and the hole covered with a steel plate.
Whitaker said the city will assess the situation and determine what needs to be repaired. The Republican Herald, which owns the parking property, will also examine the damage and carry out repairs.
John Tropp, building services manager for the newspaper, said the hole will need a more thorough examination over the next week before he consults again with Whitaker.
“Hopefully, we’ll find all of the answers next week,” Tropp said.
Along with cave-ins, potholes are an especially pressing issue this time of year, Whitaker said. Potholes are caused by the freeze/thaw cycle. Water seeps into the pavement, freezes and expands, causing the pavement to crack.
“Once we get to where we’re not having a freeze/thaw pattern, the pothole situation will start to even out, probably in about a month,” Whitaker said.
Ricky Cunningham, of Pottsville, who was passing through the scene of the cave-in, said the city has dealt with a plethora of road issues for years.
“We could have a beautiful city here if we get more workers in on this,” he said.