To drive on the streets in Farmington, one would find they are driving on an obstacle course with at least one to two potholes every few blocks. At least that is what many drivers in the Farmington area would say. The pothole problem is something that has been on the minds of many residents in the state of Utah. But, it hasn’t been just Farmington. This has happened throughout the state in various cities. Salt Lake City, Centerville, Bountiful and of course, Farmington. 

Now how are potholes made exactly? They can be created by various factors. Either poorly laid asphalt with a mix of weathering courtesy of the weather. Or a mix of constant snow and rain getting under the layers of laid asphalt on the road. 

The question is why aren’t these potholes getting fixed? Farmington residents do in fact have the ability to report when they find a pothole to UDOT (Utah Department of Transportation). It’s their website Click ‘n Fix. When a resident finds a pothole, put the address into the website, select why that specific location, and send in the request for it to be fixed. One look at the Click ‘n Fix website though, shows that UDOT has its hands full with various pothole requests. 

Some residents wonder if UDOT is doing enough with all of the potholes that keep popping up. With that, there are varying opinions on it. 

“The problem with potholes in cities is that we underfund our infrastructure,” Bryan Young said. “That means we’re not taxed enough to afford to maintain the amenities we want. To that end, any complaints about potholes should be matched with a commitment to pay more in taxes.”  

“I feel like a drunk driver dodging all these divots, every time I get on the north frontage road west from Shepard lane,” Carrie Zimmon said.

“We’ve seen one pothole fixed and right next to it, another one wasn’t filled in,” Grace Olsen said. “The State needs to send a crew down the entire road and repair every single pothole. And they need to hire a company that does a good job, cutting corners isn’t always the least expensive in the long run.” 

There is a wide range of how people feel about the state of the roads here in Farmington and across the state. But one thing everyone can agree on is that something more needs to be done about the potholes. They are slowly becoming more numerous with each winter as the snowpack fills in gaps and weathers down the old layers of the road. Some have even said that these potholes have caused them to go the longer way to work because they do not want any more damage to be done to their tires or cars in general. 

To report potholes to UDOT visit seeclickfix.com.