JACKSON, Wyo. — Spring weather brings welcome sunshine to town, but the spring thaw is not without a downside. Potholes dot streets in Jackson and Teton County.
Last week, Buckrail asked readers to share their thoughts on the current pothole situation, asking which pothole in town was the worst. We received 84 survey responses and 58 Facebook comments as of Monday, April 1.
As expected, potholes on the major thoroughfares got the most votes, with many respondents naming potholes on WY22 and US89. The Snake River Bridge was the clear winner in responses.
“The Wilson bridge gets western,” a Facebook user commented. “Might end up in a head-on collision, might end up in the Snake or might blow out a tire.”
“The potholes on the bridge had me driving my truck like I was in Mario Kart,” a survey respondent wrote. “Cue the superstar music.”
Participants also listed potholes on Spring Gulch Road and those near entrances to Smith’s and Whole Foods. Another top contender was the pothole welcoming drivers to the Stone Drug shopping center.
“Just to the right of Boot Barn — it’s not a pothole, it’s a crater left by an ancient alien civilization to study human behavior vis a vis tax revenue and timely care,” one survey respondent wrote. “It can comfortably fit a mid-sized family restaurant, two Jeep Grand Cherokees and one large domestic yak.”
A number of answers cited costly vehicle damage caused by various potholes.
“Wilson bridge pothole before they fixed it cost me $13k,” one participant shared.
“It was the behemoth on the bridge (which also popped my tire) — now it is the one in the parking lot between Chinatown and Boot Barn,” another respondent wrote. “It will eat a sedan soon.”
As usual, a number of jokesters participated in the survey.
“That would be the Jackson Hole,” one clown answered.
One Facebook commenter has been able to find a silver lining to pothole-dodging.
“For those in a hurry or with limited driving skills, the road conditions are brutal, however I rather enjoy the slower pace and maneuvers required to preserve my truck,” the Facebook user commented. “Even more enjoyable is when some bone-head is tailgating me and I make a quick move around a car-killing hole only to watch that driver plow straight into the hole because they couldn’t see it coming. This technique is a great alternative to road rage.”
