SELIGMAN, AZ — "Oh yeah, you can see the major tire damage right there," says Wendy Quinlan, the manager at Historic Route 66 Automotive and Towing in Seligman.
The damage was done by a pothole. It is one of the hundreds you'll find along Interstate 40, between Kingman and Seligman.
"I thought California roads were bad but once I crossed the border into Arizona, it's just unbelievable that an interstate can have roads that are so bumpy," says Parveen Singh, a driver from California.
ABC15 met Singh and her niece on Monday at Historic Route 66 Automotive and Towing. They got a flat tire after hitting a pothole while on their way to the Grand Canyon. Now, they aren't sure where they'll end up for the night.
"I need to get another tire. It either needs to get here or I need to get the car to a bigger city to get a tire," says Singh.
We've been covering this problem since February.
The Arizona Department of Transportation tells us the wet and icy winter season has created ideal conditions for potholes. We took the drive, three hours northwest of Phoenix, to see for ourselves and they are hard to miss. If you walk along the interstate, you can find tire debris for miles.
"I see the pothole, I go to swerve, my car dips down into it," says Anna Margaret, a driver from California.
Margaret was driving from California to Arkansas until she hit a detour Sunday night.
"I hear metal scrape; it terrified me. There was an 18-wheeler behind me... I had to swerve off the road and thank God we're alive, but it could have gone so many other ways," says Margaret.
The Volkswagen she just bought three days ago is now sitting at a tow shop. Margaret spoke with us outside the motel she is staying at while she waits for two new tires to come in.
"I feel for anybody who has to drive these roads right now," says Thomas Mendez with Seligman Fire District.
Seligman Fire has been helping out in many of the pothole-related incidents,including a crash that seriously injured a woman. They've also been taking people in, letting them stay at their firehouse.
"You don't have too many options if you're stuck here in Seligman. So yes, we have to try and find people a place to stay overnight," says Mendez.
Drivers continue to email us non-stop, asking for help finding a solution. We've been contacting ADOT weekly and it seems to be paying off.
ABC15 even came across ADOT crews making their way down I-40 repairing some of the potholes.
"I think it has helped light a fire under them," says Wendy.