Potholes plague UMD roads, frustrating commuters and students

By: Isaiah Shiau

University of Maryland parking lot. (Ashley Neyra/La Voz Latina)

COLLEGE PARK—Anh-Mi Le drove up Preinkert Drive when her tire blew out after hitting a pothole outside Somerset Hall. That’s when a UMD Department of Transportation Services member attempted to ticket Le for emergency parking outside of Somerset. 

“I tried to explain to them that I had just gotten a flat tire, and it was an emergency that I had to park in that parking spot, so they let me go,” said Le, a marketing major.

Potholes have caused numerous issues for student commuters and micro-mobility vehicle users on campus. A year later, freshman Andre Castillos suffered a similar accident. 

“My parents were picking me up from my dorm for fall break,” Castillos said. 

His father made a right turn from La Plata Drive to Stadium Drive and hit a massive pothole at the intersection.

“Our tire pressure light went off, but we didn’t notice till we got onto I-95,” Castillos said. “We took the car to the mechanic immediately.”

In the past semester, at least eight potholes were reported to the Facilities Management Landscape Surface team, according to Hafsa Siddiqi, manager of media relations for the University of Maryland.

Anh-Mi Le’s Toyota RAV-4’s tire after hitting a pothole. (Photo courtesy of Anh-Mi Le)

“I commute to campus three times a week,” Le said.

Le, who lives in Prince Frederick Hall, enjoys commuting home to visit her family in Prince George’s County.

“My tire pressure light is consistently on whenever I drive on campus roads,” Le said.

When asked about how they will take more accountability for the numerous potholes, Emily Cosci, a representative of the Department of Transportation Services, responded that “road maintenance falls outside of our jurisdiction.”

“I think what the Department of Transportation Services could just do better is communicate better to students about how long the construction is and where it will be,” Le said.