HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A viewer reached out to our Driving Tampa Bay Forward tip line after rain continues to flood a road outside a Ruskin subdivision.
The water can sit for days and is causing pieces of the road to break off leaving large potholes off 21st Avenue Southeast.
“When you’re driving, if you’re not careful, you could easily run into a pothole and you can tear your front end up,” said Mark Anderson, who lives in the RiverBend community.
Anderson said during heavy rainstorms, he’s had to pull people out of the ditch with his truck.
DRIVING TAMPA BAY FORWARD | Latest headlines on safety and infrastructure in our area
“They go on the right side of the road and don’t pay attention to where they’re going. They run into the ditch or even a muddle,” he said.
Anderson pointed out that some of the potholes are six inches deep, and at least a foot in diameter.
With more rain in the forecast, he worries the water will continue to sit and erode the road.
Hillsborough County has been out several times to fix potholes, including back-to-back months for repairs in May and June.
A neighbor tells us they think the flooding problem started after a fire hydrant was added near the road and they’ve been in contact with the county about the concerns.
They say after our phone calls, the county told them that a contractor has been hired to fix repairs that’s most likely causing the flooding.
However, a timeline of this was not available. A Hillsborough County spokesperson said they have nearly 70 open repairs for potholes across the incorporated area.
If you see a pothole in Hillsborough County,you can report it here. You can also report it to the Public Works Department by calling (813) 635-5400 or emailing PWCustomerResolution@HCFLGov.net.
