Motorists got a jolt Wednesday night as they were heading home on the Lougheed Highway after their vehicles smashed into a sharp pothole.
The tire eater was on the entry ramp to the eastbound lanes of the highway off the Haney Bypass.
City of Maple Ridge crews heard about it too at about 9 p.m., when motorists contacted the city. The incident was then relayed to Mainroad Contracting, which is responsible for maintaining Lougheed Highway, a provincial road.
“From what we understand, there were quite a few damaged vehicles,” said Russ Carmichael, Maple Ridge’s director of public works.
The city dispatched a worker to check it out and alerted Mainroad, which put in a temporary cold patch that night. That will be followed up with a hot patch of asphalt when conditions allow.
According to Facebook, more than a dozen cars were pulled on to the side of the road, either getting towed or fixing flats.
Ryan Douglas said both his tire and rim were destroyed by the pothole, adding that it’s been there for three days.
With the dark and the rain, it was impossible to see.
“I hit that tonight on my way home. Water was covering it, didn’t even see it … bang, I was lucky,” added another.
Given the relatively mild winter with no snow, it hasn’t been a bad year for pot holes, said Carmichael.
“But they’re still out there.”