The city\u2019s dismal pothole-repair efforts are so bad that a 23-year-old mechanic is raking in at least $2,200 a night setting up shop with a stack of replacement tires next to a crater in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
Javier Yat told The Post on Tuesday that he changes so many tires on a typical night working out of his van around Exit 9A on the Belt Parkway that he runs out of new wheels mid-shift.<\/p>\n
Javier Yat, a 23-year-old mechanic from Brooklyn, has made a side hustle out of a single city pothole. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post<\/p>\n
\u201cI carry about 10 tires in my van at all times, but when I park in that location specifically, I have to pay a runner to go back and forth to the shop for me and to pick up what I need,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne man\u2019s misfortune is another man\u2019s blessing.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
The wrench-wielding entrepreneur said that by day, he performs about four or five tire changes daily when running a local auto shop \u2014 but at night is when the real magic begins.<\/p>\n
The crater on the Belt Parkway has been known to rack up around 15 to 20 victims a night. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post<\/p>\n
He gets in his van about 12:30 a.m. and drives to where the massive pothole \u2014 and hoards of customers \u2014 are waiting about a half-mile ahead of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the pothole is approximately 60 square inches and 12 inches deep,\u201d said Yat, who discovered the monster tire-popper about a year and a half ago when a customer called him in a pinch.<\/p>\n
The mechanic said he does his best work between just after midnight and 10 a.m. on rainy or cold days \u2014 the perfect combination for a blown tire.<\/p>\n
Javier takes his business on the road \u2014 literally. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when motorists are going faster because of less traffic, and it\u2019s dark, so they don\u2019t see the pothole, the Brooklyn man said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith daylight, the pothole is easier to see. At night, it\u2019s harder to dodge,\u201d Yat said.<\/p>\n
Yat said he charges between $150 and $300 per tire depending on its size \u2014 changing about 15 to 20 each night he works.<\/p>\n
The extra cash flow goes right back into purchasing more tires for his business to keep up with the high demand, he said.<\/p>\n
The young mechanic from Guatemala said he began the lucrative venture simply because he saw a business opportunity staring him in the face.<\/p>\n
He said city workers have done patchwork on the pothole over past months, but it only lasts still the next cold or ain spell.<\/p>\n
The ace young mechanic said he simply saw a business opportunity. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post<\/p>\n
Yat\u2019s side gig surfaced the same day a city Department of Transportation official insisted the agency has enough staff to handle what has become a lasting scourge for Big Apple drivers everywhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have adequate staffing to address these conditions,\u2019\u2019 DOT First Deputy Commissioner Margaret Forgione assured City Council members during a budget hearing on transportation and infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not have a lack of staff in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her boss, DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn, didn\u2019t seem so sure.<\/p>\n
Tires get gashed from the crater. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post<\/p>\n
\u201cFilli\u200bng potholes is, there\u2019s a lot of, um, there\u2019s a lot of, um, it\u2019s dymanic right?\u2019\u2019 he told council members when pressed on the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt depends on the specific weather conditions of that winter. We can\u2019t fill potholes when there\u2019s snow on the ground or the ground is frozen.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the even bigger picture, potholes are kind of a symptom, and what we want to do is address the underlying problem,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
He and Forgione both mentioned a city blitz this past weekend in which they said 90 crews repaired 7,000 potholes.<\/p>\n