Potholes Aplenty
Apr 16, 2014
By Katie Muller
Staff Writer
The winter season of 2013-14 covered LIU Post in plenty of snow, often making it difficult for students to commute to campus. With the warmer weather arriving, students still find it difficult to commute; even though the snow that blanketed Post has melted, the campus is littered with potholes that have been left behind.
Potholes, which are natural cavities in the ground due to the erosion of rock from water, ice, and salt, have been a major problem not only around campus, but also throughout the New York area, because of the winter weather conditions.
“The potholes [on campus] are an inconvenience,” said Megan Calvente, a senior Art Therapy major, “especially the one on the road beside the football field. In combination with the speed bumps, it’s difficult to commute to the art buildings,” Calvente added.
“It’s a pain,” said Georgios Metskas, a senior Geography major, when he spoke about the pothole right outside the Northern Boulevard entrance to Post. “Every time I exit from campus, I feel as if my car bumper is going to scrape up against the road and end up getting scratched. I feel like someone will bottom-out there eventually,” he added.
“There were a lot of potholes, especially on the main roads,” said Bill Kirker, director of Facility Services at Post. Kirker explained that while “hundreds” of potholes have been fixed this season, they continue to reopen due to the rain and snow. As cars drive on the roads coered in ice and salt, it also creates more potholes. Kirker said that Facility Services has plans to repave the roads around campus before commencement in order to even out the roads from both the potholes, as well as those who have temporarily been fixed. “The time it takes depends on when we can get a contractor to repave the roads,” Kirker said.
When asked if any students have reported flat tires due to the potholes, Kirker stated, “No flat tires were called in.” As for any potholes remaining unfixed that students should be aware of, Kirker explained the ones prompting an issue were “already fixed.”
As for the pothole right outside the entrance of Post, Kirker explained that it couldn’t be repaired by the Facility Services Department. “The pothole is considered on Northern Boulevard, meaning that the state has to repair it, since it’s their property.” He reassured students that while the university cannot repair the pothole itself, they have been trying to bring the state’s attention to the issue for some time now.
“Potholes aren’t just an issue on campus, they’re everywhere” Kirker added, reflecting on all the potholes he has seen across different roads on Long Island. “It’s terrible!”