Since Hawaii roads are starting to look like American Samoa roads three years ago I went looking for things to do about it. Everyone knows that there is a pothole hotline where you can leave a message to be ignored by some overpaid state worker but did you know there is a website too?

Here it is:

http://www.honolulu.gov/csd/pothole.htm

Here you can E-mail in reports of bad potholes with locations, street addresses and descriptions of the potholes. Now they say that someone or something listens to your messages left on the pothole hotline and E-mails this for you, but I'd just assume do it myself. So get online everyone and report every pothole you encounter everyday!

Also just so you don't think that everyone imagined Mayor Mufi Hanneman promising that he would fix every pothole on the island here is an article detailing his plan:

http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/news...57/detail.html

More recently he updated his plan as reported here:

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story....0-36c045a48a00

Just to give everyone a clearer perspective of road repair here's a few of fun facts.

--In Dallas Texas highway maintenance can shut down half a road or highway and repave more than 50 miles of roadway in one night. The next day that side of the road is useable and they pave the other half in one night.

--In Maui (Governor Lingle's stomping grounds) they use a different kind of asphalt that is more resistant to rain damage and potholes. When you drive near the expensive resorts you will notice that the asphalt is made up of different materials inbedded in it that looks like glitter. After several days of heavy rain potholes don't suddenly "appear" everywhere. Unlike on Honolulu roads.

--In Samoa more than 70% of their roads were repaired once they realized that most of their federal road repair money was being stolen by crooked politicians.

Kinda makes you wonder where Mayor Hanneman is putting his promised road repair fund of 70 million dollars huh?

 

and being from texas i can tell you, when there is a freaking wreck they clear it off the road instantly to get traffic moving unlike hawaii!!!!! Here you get off duty cops who wave you around the scene taking traffic to one lane while everyone stands around and takes pictures and thinks about what to do next. while we sift through the bottle neck in massive backed up traffic.

sorry for the venting, i just never understood why hawaii does this. do officials here ever visit the mainland to see what they have learned??

 

I've been seeing alot of MINIs and BMWs coming into the shop recently for pothole damages. Supposedly you can get reimbursed from the state for it but I've never seen anyone succeed.

 

Well.... After my contribution to MOH last weekend for an alignment and tire, I'm going to try. If anyone has any experience in filing a claim, please let me know.

 

--The one that my ex's brother won was filed via police report so you have something to reference. You tell them exactly where the pothole that caused you damage is located. You state that there was no sign warning of a dip or road construction and you document the damage done to the car. From there file a claim to the state.

Hope this helps.

 

You need lots of documentation. If you had a flat and had to be towed, or had the tire changed, that is the best case scenario as you can get a receipt that serves as documentation. However, with runflats, that muddies up the situation a bit. A police report also helps. If it looks like they will pay your claim, they will send someone to look at the damage and adjust it for wear... Then wait a few months for a check.

Pictures of the pothole are very important and use something in the picture to show scale and depth. Unfortunately, the city and state is onto this and is also filling potholes very quickly.