Large potholes, made worse by a series of historic storms, damaged about 30 vehicles in the northbound lanes of the 71 Freeway in Pomona early Wednesday morning, authorities said, forcing the California Highway Patrol to close the highway for hours until repairs could be made.
At one point, there were so many vehicles with flat tires and damaged tires near the Holt Avenue exit that some drivers were unable to find space on the shoulder to stop, CHP Officer Joseph Davila said.
Rain always poses a danger to driving, including the possibility of creating more potholes and expanding existing holes in the pavement. California was hit this week by its 11th atmospheric river storm of the season, dumping heavy rain and snow on an already sodden state.
“It’s been something that’s been coming up during every storm,” Dávila said.
However, Wednesday’s long line of damaged cars on the side of the road set a new standard, he said.
“This has been the worst so far,” Dávila said.
Officers began receiving calls for damaged vehicles near Holt Avenue around 4:10 am By the time officers arrived, they had already stopped about 20 vehicles on the shoulder, he said.
“They had various damages to their vehicles, mainly to their tires and rims,” Dávila said.
No injuries were reported, but authorities decided to close the highway. Drivers were being diverted from Holt Avenue and allowed to return to the freeway at the next on-ramp.
The cause of the damage appeared to be about five large “crater”-shaped potholes, all within a short distance of each other, Dávila said.
“They weren’t just little ones,” he said.
At least one of the potholes was about 4 feet wide, he said.
The northbound lanes were closed until at least noon while Caltrans crews worked to repair the highway, Dávila said. One lane on the south side of the freeway was also blocked for repairs.
