HOUSTON – Texas Department of Transportation crews worked Tuesday to repair a pothole in the Eastex Freeway in North Houston that damaged multiple cars during morning rush hour.
The hole was repaired at about 9 p.m., according to TxDOT.
After repairing the pothole, crews moved to the other side of the freeway to repair the right lanes, a scheduled repair that is expected to be completed around 5 a.m.
TxDOT crews temporarily repaired the same pothole last Saturday.
"We went out that same day and put a temporary asphalt mix and that repair was supposed to hold until tonight, unfortunately it did not. Probably a combination of the weather and the wear and tear caused it to blow out before we could get to it," said TxDOT spokesperson Deidrea George.
It was too late for drivers Tuesday morning.
The photo below was the progress as of 1 p.m. Tuesday as crews work to repair the pothole:
“I didn't even know it was a hole until out the hole and I realized, ‘That was a hole,’” said Roland Watters.
The 6 x 4 foot pothole punctured a southbound lane of the Eastex Freeway. Steel rebar was exposed and concrete lay on the highway and down below on Little York Road.
The pothole crippled inbound traffic, and drivers crept by in only two lanes.
“When I came out the hole, to stop from hitting them, I went to the right and I just lost control of my truck,” Watters said.
Watters then smashed into the wall, and he wasn't the only one.
“It was like almost 20 cars backed up on the freeway this morning. Everybody had flats,” Watters said.
“There were cars on both sides. That way. This way. Behind me. It was a lot,” Penelope Jones said.
TxDOT says drivers with vehicles impacted by the pothole can contact the department to make a claim for possible reimbursement.
@KPRC2 #Houston pic.twitter.com/CUi7v0m0OZ
— KPRC Cathy Hernandez (@KPRC2Cathy) December 19, 2017
⚠️ TRAFFIC ALERT: A LARGE pothole closes 2 SB lanes of 59 at Little York. It’s more than half the length of the patrol car. KPRC2
Posted by KPRC2 Cathy Hernandez on Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Jones was one of them. She had a flat tire on a car she'd driven for only two weeks.
“I was like, ‘Oh, no, I got to get to work.’ That’s what I was thinking, and ‘I hope I don’t have a flat tire,’ but I knew it right away,” said Jones.
As crews worked to make repairs, the drivers were relieved they were safe.
“(I) just pray(ed) and hope(d) I (wouldn't) go over the wall down below,” said Watters.
CRAZY! LARGE pothole closes 3 SB lanes of the Eastex Freeway at Little York. @TxDOT says repairs will take most of the day.