READING, Pa. – Potholes can be a driver’s worst enemy.
“There’s several areas on the West Shore Bypass that have been experiencing pothole activity. The worst part of it was on a couple of the bridge decks,” said Ron Young, press officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
After multiple complaints and a letter from state Sen. Judy Schwank, action is being taken to address potholes that have been causing problems for motorists.
“I use these roads myself all the time, and they have a right to complain. It’s terrible,” said Schwank, a Democrat who represents District 11 in Berks County.
PennDOT says repairs are underway.
“So, we had our Berks County maintenance PennDOT workers out there today doing work westbound, on the river bridge over near Route 176 to patch up some of those potholes,” Young said on Tuesday. “Then they’re going to be back out again on Monday to go on the eastbound side over by Penn Avenue to try to repair that area, which seems to be the roughest area right now.”
There are multiple factors that contribute to potholes, including moisture and changing temperatures, causing the surface to contract and expand.
“And then with the heavy traffic on it, the West Shore Bypass has upwards of 100,000 vehicles a day,” Young said.
Schwank said most of complaints her office received focused on the bypass between the exits for Route 176 and Penn Street.
“It can be not only dangerous, but it can be costly,” she said. “I mean, we had at least one person tell us that they blew out a tire.”
And PennDOT says these repairs are just the start.
“We do have plans in 2027 to rehabilitate or replace many of these bridges along the West Shore Bypass as the first phase of the what we’re calling the West Shore Bypass reconstruction project,” Young said. “It’s going to be a long-term project to rehabilitate the entire stretch of the West Shore Bypass.”