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Potholes keep towing business, other firms busy
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More from Other NewsThe heavy rains soaking the county since Thursday have contributed to deteriorating roadways and have produced massive potholes that are damaging not only tires but also wheels and rims.
As the holes fill with rainwater, they become difficult to see as drivers approach. The force of a car driving over a water-filled pothole releases more dirt and concrete out of the hole, making it bigger.
Roy's Towing has been busy fixing flats with shattered rims. The company serves the Conejo Valley and contracts for the Ventura County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol.
On Highway 101 near Westlake Boulevard, a large pothole in a northbound lane was responsible for flattening tires on about 15 cars Sunday night, a Roy's employee said. On Monday morning, a traffic alert sign on southbound Highway 101 in Thousand Oaks warned motorists about the upcoming hazard.
As the pothole refilled with rain, it became difficult to see and avoid.
"You can't see it when you come up on it," said Roy Waid, who was changing tires Monday morning. "It looks just like the road."
Whether on the freeway or surface streets, some motorists remember and anticipate the hazards.
Jeff Friedman of Thousand Oaks said he is familiar enough with the Highway 101 potholes to dodge them.
"You drive the freeway long enough, you know where the potholes are," he said while buying gasoline at a Thousand Oaks service station Monday.
Caltrans is in charge of fixing potholes along the state's highways, the agency's spokeswoman, Judy Gish, said.
"In general, our policy is that when we are notified of a pothole or anything that could be a safety hazard, we do take care of it right away," she said.
Despite work to fill the potholes, the rain combined with heavy traffic continued to unearth them.
"The way the rims are coming off these cars," Waid said, "they're shattered."
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