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Susquehanna County Residents Complain of ‘Nightmare’ Potholes

HALLSTEAD, Pa. — Drivers in Susquehanna County are fed up with what they call poor and unsafe road conditions. “We have to keep our cars legal. We h...

HALLSTEAD, Pa. -- Drivers in Susquehanna County are fed up with what they call poor and unsafe road conditions.

"We have to keep our cars legal. We have to get them inspected so they're safe for driving on the roads, yet our roads aren't safe to drive on."

A pothole on New York Avenue is what John Ackley has had to dodge on his way from Hallstead to Conklin, New York for work every day since April -- until Wednesday morning when PennDOT filled the pothole.

But for Ackley and many other drivers in Hallstead, the damage has already been done. Some are hundreds of dollars in the hole.

"It's a nightmare," Ackley said. "I come home one night in the rain, and you can't see potholes in the rain. I hit the pothole, I busted the front strut of my car. I have many friends who have had wheels that were bent, or they blew off their tires."

Drivers have found relief with occasional pothole patching, but many say there's still more work to be done.

Rick White used to ride his bike down to Hallstead from Binghamton, New York, but now he cuts his ride short to avoid the crumbling road.

"The roads going further down in Susquehanna towards Hallstead are unrideable on a bike. Shoulders are gone, potholes, very dangerous, so I've been turning around," White said.

People who live here in Susquehanna County tell Newswatch 16 that New York Avenue is just one of many roads across the county that could use a little TLC.

Newswatch 16 did find a PennDOT crew filling potholes along New York Avenue later in the day, but some drivers say patching the holes is just a quick fix when the road needs a full makeover.

"The edges of the road are so bad, I drive down the middle if nothing's coming. They really neglect our county. There's a lot of main roads heading in and out of towns that should be good and they're not."

PennDOT admits that the rural county does require a lot of attention and although the department has made improvements, there's still a long way to go.

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