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Man-made Pothole Problems Made Worse by Weather

HONESDALE — A pothole problem in Wayne County is adding insult to injury. The problem on Main Street in Honesdale is due to the weather plus a big constru...
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HONESDALE — A pothole problem in Wayne County is adding insult to injury.

The problem on Main Street in Honesdale is due to the weather plus a big construction project. First, the street had to be torn up last year to upgrade the gas main.

Then, this harsh winter weather has made matters worse and folks are getting fed up with the condition of the main drag in Honesdale.

No matter where you drive these days, you’re probably going to hit a few potholes along the way.

And then there’s Main Street in Honesdale where they’re unavoidable. Ever since UGI Utilities had the street torn up in order to upgrade its natural gas system drivers have had a bumpy ride.

“You have to be careful when you’re driving because you can drive right into one, break the tire on the car. I keep dodging them, no place to dodge anymore,” said Peter Wilken of Honesdale.

For the fifth time in little more than a month, crews were working to patch the big divots in the roadway.

“The plow trucks coming by tear it up a little bit, with the weather, hot and cold, everything factors in,” said Pete Lemoncelli of G.E.C. Services.

Lemoncelli and his crew said they get some grief from drivers for the condition of the street but a new pave-job can’t be done until winter is over and warmer weather is here.

“No, nobody likes this road, you have to do the work, it’s some of the hazards of doing the work.”

Not only is a bumpy Main Street damaging to vehicles but also to businesses. Shop owners said the mess on the main thoroughfare is deterring people from coming by their shops.

“No they’re not going to come down it, no, with the condition of the road and lack of responsibility to fix it, business is terrible, nobody’s stopping,” said Kelly Birmelin, owner of Morning Glory.

Birmelin and others look forward to smoother driving down the road.

“You don’t even want to come down main street. It’s affecting the stores I think, who wants to come down and have their car, the holes are deep,” said Kellie Shannon of Honesdale.

A spokesman for PennDOT said the utility company is on the hook to pave Main Street in Honesdale once winter is over. But PennDOT also said the water company plans do upgrades to its water main as well in the coming months.

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