$3.6M settlement tied to Portland pothole
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Two contractors agreed to pay $3.6 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from a Portland pothole that allegedly caused a driver's severe injuries, likely the highest payout over a hole in the road in the city's history.
Why it matters: The settlement underscores the financial costs of Portland's long-running struggle to maintain its streets.
Zoom in: Gillian Conroy was driving on Southwest Capitol Highway near Interstate 5 in 2022 when she struck a 6-inch-deep, 2-foot-wide hole in the roadway, per the Oregonian.
- Despite wearing a seatbelt, Conroy struck her head on her vehicle's roof, suffering a traumatic brain injury, tinnitus and a torn rotator cuff.
The intrigue: After the driver sued the city, Portland sued the two contractors, saying the pothole was caused by an asphalt patch that quickly deteriorated, the Oregonian reported.
- The pothole had been reported to the city two days earlier and had existed for roughly three weeks, within the city's stated 30-day repair window.
Zoom out: The state of Portland's streets has been of concern for years as the transportation bureau has struggled to keep up with — and pay for — a backlog of repairs.
- Last month, a cyclist who broke his hand in a pothole-related crash sued the city for $950,000.
- That's just one of nearly half a dozen lawsuits filed over potholes over the last decade, per an Oregonian analysis.
Yes, but: City councilors recently passed a new transportation utility fee to help fund street repairs.
- And the city fills many thousands of potholes per year.
The bottom line: Still, a 2024 survey found street (dis) repair to be city government's biggest failure, at least in the eyes of its residents.