Harris County deputies were called to the 1000 block of East Freeway after 10 to 15 cars got flat tires because of the pothole, the sheriff’s office said.
The Texas Department of Transportation said they are only aware of two vehicles that reported damage, but they expect more., the public information officer for TxDOT’s Houston district, said the call came in just after 8 a.m. When TxDOT crews arrived at the scene, they found an expansion bridge joint was damaged with steel rebar poking from the joint.
She said there could be multiple reasons for the damage to the joint with the most likely being just the wear and tear from traffic. The joints may have already been loose and when a heavy load rolled over it, it could have caused further damage, she said. TxDOT said they will have to put a temporary fix in place since the materials needed for a permanent fix are on backorder. In the meantime, they will put a steel plate over the joint to flatten it out so it is not a threat to drivers.units responded to the 1000 block of the East Fwy. Approx 10-15 vehicles have flat tires due to a large pot hole in the westbound/inbound lane. Two w/b lanes have been closed.