Menacing potholes?

Since Castanet posted the story of the massive pothole on Harvey Avenue near Ellis Street, two more people have come forward with their unfortunate tales.

One man says two tires on his vehicle were damaged after running over the pothole Wednesday evening.

Total damage is about $1,200.

Another woman hit the pothole about 8:30 p.m. She says the force was such that it felt like the front end of her truck fell off.

She says the tire wasn't flat but the truck was pulling and steering funny afterward.

A flat tire, bent rims and a car in need of an alignment – and that’s just the damage one motorist knows about after driving through a large pothole on Harvey Avenue Tuesday night.

Irene Bauman was travelling north on Harvey just after 7 p.m. She was in the left lane between Pandosy and Ellis Streets when she noticed a dark spot in the road.

“I just saw the pothole at the last second, just as I was coming up to the Ellis Street turnoff. I looked to my right and there was a big black truck beside me, and I had a split-second decision – hit the pothole or hit the truck – and I ended up slamming into the pothole.”

Bauman says the pothole was unavoidable, and she knew her car was damaged immediately. Another motorist who saw the event even pulled over to make sure she was all right.

After calling a tow truck and her dealership, Bauman is now out at least $1,000 for repairs.

“But they won’t know until they actually look at it,” she says.

“And if I go over 60 km/h right now, my 2013 Volkswagen Jetta that was in pristine condition with brand new Pirelli tires shakes and rattles.”

When she drove past the pothole again a few hours later, it had mysteriously been filled, presumably by Argo Road Maintenance, the road crew contracted by the Ministry of Highways.

Since Harvey Avenue is part of Highway 97, the City of Kelowna is not responsible for that stretch of asphalt. But city officials say they have two road crews that work with asphalt recycling machines all year long.

“We have a stockpile of regular asphalt that keeps us going through the winter,” says Darryl Astofooroff, transportation services manager.

“What the machine does is you load it into what is like a big cement mixer that reheats asphalt. It’s a permanent patch, not a temporary thing.”

He adds that anyone who sees an issue on the roads can contact the city through the public works yard or put in a request through its online system.