If you feel like pothole season is hitting your wallet harder ever, you are not imagining it.
A new study confirms what Grand Rapids drivers already secretly knew. We are paying more than anyone else in West Michigan for road damage, and most of the time, we are paying for it ourselves.
Potholes are back across the region now that things are warming up after weeks of snow, and while Kent County road crews are working around the clock to patch new pot holes, the damage is largely unavoidable.
And according to new research from TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, drivers in Grand Rapids spend an average of $898 per year driving on deteriorating roads. That is higher than drivers in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, who spent on average $749, and higher than Muskegon drivers who are averaging about $810. While we aren’t the highest in Michigan, since Detroit drivers pay the most with their costs topping $1,100 annually.
But still… nearly $900 a year just to deal with rough roads is a lot on a budget, especially these days. Repair costs from a single pothole encounter can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand, depending on the severity…