ROCHESTER, N.Y. – News10NBC could see this next story coming. A January thaw after a cold snap and now the calls and emails about potholes are coming in.

On Tuesday News10NBC’s Berkely Brean set out to find the monster pothole that blew up tires of half a dozen people trying to get to and from work. 

Brean drove south on 590 from Titus Avenue in Irondequoit after he heard the story of Peter Nashburn.

“So when I hit the pothole yesterday, I had to pull over because my tire went flat,” Nashburn said pointing to the front passenger tire that blew.
 
The repair got him a $530 repair bill.

“It actually rattled the car,” he said. “So I guessed it was a pretty deep pothole type of thing.”

Tuesday, the non-profit organization called TRIP released a study that says the average driver in Rochester spends $2,057 a year on repairs because of rough roads.

“TRIP’s report found that 13% of major roadways in the Rochester area are in poor condition and another 22% are in mediocre condition,” said TRIP’s Rocky Moretti.

TRIP is funded by insurance companies, road construction businesses, labor unions, and organizations focused on safe transportation system.

The state transportation department says it spent $753 million on road repairs last year. And in Rochester, it resurfaced 177 miles of road, repaired or replaced 320 bridges, and filled a million potholes statewide.

The one Nashburn hit was 590 southbound at the merge with 104. When Brean got there on Tuesday, it was repaired. He showed his video to Nashburn.

Brean: “And here comes the pothole here. There it is right here.”
Nashburn: “Pothole blew car tire: “Yep.”
Brean: “So they filled it.”
Peter: “Oh, they filled it?”
Brean: “Let’s take a closer look at that again.”

Nashburn says he saw two other cars with flat tires on the side of the road with him and three more on his way back home.

He’s filing a small claim against the state transportation department but the application comes with a disclaimer. It says the state is not liable for any pothole damage unless it happens between May and November.

And even then, the state and every county, city, town and village in New York has a section of their code that says unless they have written prior notice of a problem, like a pothole, they’re not responsible for damage.

If you see a pothole, call 1-800-POTHOLE.