Middle Tennessee is going to pot…as in potholes. We have all heard the excuses. A brutal winter. Cheap asphalt that didn’t hold up.  

Few asphalt companies are open during the offseason to provide what is needed to repair the deep holes. And not enough contractors are available to fulfill the work requirements.  

Excuses are like potholes. It seems like everybody has hit one. And everyone who has hit one is fully aware of the excuses.  

Sunday afternoon I hit a large pothole on I-24 West heading towards Nashville. The pothole was somewhere between Murfreesboro and Smyrna. That road is well-travelled. I am sure I am not the only one who has hit that pothole and suffered damage to their vehicle.  

My encounter left me with both tires on one side of my car flattened. Luckily, I have drive flat tires that allowed me to get off the interstate and to a location where it would be easier for a wreck to pick up my car.  

I don’t know whether it was the blow to my car from hitting the pothole or something else, but my car shut down and refused to go back into any gear including neutral.  

My insurance will take care of the towing fee. I have to buy two new tires. If either one of the rims is bent insurance will take of that as well. So, it could be worse. Thank goodness for insurance.  

Several news agencies have reported the Tennessee Department of Transportation has denied 99 percent of the claims made due to pothole damage. It is up to the driver to prove negligence on the part of TDOT.  

In other words, you have to prove TDOT knew about the pothole but had yet to fix it. TDOT also claims it needs to be given a reasonable time to make a repair after the pothole has been discovered.  

What is a reasonable time? Nobody knows for sure.  

And how do you know when TDOT first discovered a pothole in order to determine if they had a reasonable time to fix it and failed to do it?  

I have heard numerous stories similar to mine from other drivers. Bedford County is much better in terms of road conditions than the areas in and around Nashville.  

Even roads in some of more affluent areas of Nashville are in extreme states of disrepair.  

Maybe with warm weather inching closer roads needing repair and repaving will soon be returned to a smooth surface.  

Until then watch out in front of you and try to be as safe as possible. Don’t let the pothole gremlins get you.