ADOT launched a pavement improvement project on the US 60 in January, earlier than expected, following multiple complaints about road conditions. Their project aims to provide a smoother ride for drivers.
"What they’ve done to the US 60 is in no way an improvement," said Bill Toperzer. "The striping just blends into the asphalt."
Bill said there are multiple things he and others have to deal with while driving.
"Last night I was driving on the 60, about 5 o’clock, with the sun coming at me. I was looking, trying to even find the lane markers. The glare on the road had obliterated them. Plus, all these miscellaneous seams in the road… I didn’t know where to go," said Bill.
The road problems started in November 2021 when crews removed the worn, rubberized asphalt on the US 60. That was immediately followed by drivers reporting dust and debris left behind, along with an uneven surface, among other concerns.
ADOT and their contractor responded to the situation and said the results were significantly improved when work near Gilbert Road was completed in early 2022. But, since ADOT did not have funding at the time, long-term repairs were delayed.
Now, work to fix the road continues; as do the problems. Some drivers point out the most concerning portion is between Greenfield and Gilbert roads, where they've been hit by flying debris.
“It looked like hail; it sounded like hail. It pinged off the car in every direction like hail,” said Claire Demarais, who filed a notice of claim.
Demarais said that the incident lasted for about two minutes but the problems because of it lasted a month.
"So, I counted over 55 little dings just on the top of the hood and I didn’t notice the rest of the damage until I went in for a repair appraisal," says Demarais.
Demarais said she was told by two shops that her car has an estimated $7,000 to $9,000 in damages and she only got the car nine months ago. When she filled out a notice of claim with the state, she got denied.
"Stating that I failed to meet the standards and my claim is not going to be honored," said Demarais.
Demarais said the whole process has been complicated and is hoping to get answers for herself and others.
"Make it simplified for the 'Average Joe' so that way we can say, 'this is what happened. I need to do steps one, two, three, and four or, if I can't do that, you need to come over here and do a, b, c, and d,'" said Demarais.
ADOT says work is being done on US 60 this weekend, including the removal of asphalt and pavement maintenance.
Crews are also doing extensive sweeping of work zones, during this time, to limit dust and debris. After that, ABC15 is told the next step is to focus on diamond grinding the concrete surface as the project advances toward completion this summer.