DeKalb County residents share issues with potholes as City of DeKalb looks for solution

Randy Waters of DeKalb was out and about Friday afternoon and lamented about the state of "a couple gnarly potholes," along Sycamore Road to the AMC Market Square 10.

"Right over here is pretty bad, right there when you're pulling out," he said as he pointed to the road. "That road is horrible.They seem to try to fix it, but it just doesn't work."

Fixing the ever-expanding pothole problem in the city and around DeKalb County roads seems like an annual issue, one the City of DeKalb is looking to address. On Monday, City Manager Bill Nicklas will propose a special service tax be imposed on the 18 retailers in the the Market Square Shopping Center such as Lowe's and Walmart to pay for annual pothole repair of surrounding roads. It's a high-trafficked area, one that becomes turbulent during winter months as potholes expand with the cold, wreaking havoc on drivers like Walters.

A public hearing to solicit opinion on the proposal is set for Feb. 24, though the city council will begin discussions at their regular meeting Monday at 6 p.m.

In 1994, a reciprocal easement agreement was established with surrounding businesses to establish a system for the maintenance of access roads leading into and around the retail center, according to city documents.

To raise the $145,000 estimated to be necessary for poodle repairs in 2020 (and the $204,700 annual estimate in subsequent years), the city would impose a tax of $1.14 per $100 of EAV, and raise that to $2.34 after the first year, documents show.

Waters said the thing about the potholes in and around DeKalb is that you can see most of them, as long as the driver is paying attention., and said he thinks the roads are taken care of pretty well.

"I just know around town there are a couple gnarly potholes you've got to watch out for," Waters said. "They help pay my bills, but at the same time it also helps mess up my tires."

What causes potholes?

Nathan Schwartz, DeKalb County Highway Engineer, said said the weather is one thing to blame for the creation of potholes.

"If we could have a winter that just stayed cold, which people wouldn't like, those potholes wouldn't show," he said.

Schwartz said when the county isn't plowing snow and the roads have potholes, his staff goes and fixes them.

"We don't have a lot of potholes on county highways," he said. "The county highways are in pretty good shape."

Diana Rud said Friday she can hear where her husband is by the sound his truck makes when he's driving in Sandwich. The way his truck tires grind against the pavement is a dead giveaway.

"Our streets are atrocious," Rud said. "We just came back from vacation. As soon as we got back into Sandwich, it was like 'Oh my god. We're back to this.'"

He area residents should ask those in charge in their jurisdiction about fixing the potholes. Different roads fall under the responsibility of different agencies.

For example, Schwartz pointed out how Route 38, known as Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, turns into a state highway east of the city. That means Illinois Department of Transportation has jurisdiction over it.

"Why is 38 east of DeKalb in bad shape?" he said. "It's a state highway. Ask IDOT."

Schwartz said inside DeKalb County are county highways, state highways, municipal roads and 19 townships. A road that may start in one jurisdiction can run into another's authority.

Schwartz said there are a bunch of jurisdictions and sometimes a road might get paved more often or more recently in one jurisdiction.

"Then you cross over the border to another jurisdiction and you see more cracks, more bumps and more potholes," he said.

Schwartz said it's hard to come up with a cost for repairing a pothole because the workers not only drive out and fix potholes, but they also make other minor repairs while out there.

He said residents who wonder when their road is getting fixed should call their area's public works.

"I would recommend they call up the public agency, municipality, and ask when they're going to work on such and such road," he said. "Call and make them aware of the concerns."