Do you remember the song “Pop Life” by Prince?
The lyrics are:“What’s the matter with your life?Is the poverty bringing you down?Is the mailman jerking you ’round?”
I changed the lyrics to reflect what it’s like navigating Milwaukee streets. My version goes:“What’s the matter with your life?Are potholes wrecking your car?Is reckless driving slowing you down?Or are our politicians just making you look like a clown?”
If you’re like me, you are beyond frustrated with the condition of Milwaukee’s streets, compounded by the nonstop construction across the city. Add in reckless driving, and the frustration is enough to make you curse out loud.
My latest moment came after hitting not one, but two gigantic potholes near N. 76th Street, where the city has lined the road with hundreds of orange-and-white barrels for even more construction.
The first was so deep it made me clench my butt cheeks, but before I could even yell out my first curse word, I hit another one that I couldn’t swerve around because some idiot with no plates was illegally passing in the right lane, forcing me to take the second pothole head-on.
That’s when I let it all out.
After I finished my rant, my car reminded me just how expensive that moment was going to be when the tire light popped on. I kept driving, hoping for the best, but then the light started flashing — meaning it was time to either pull over or get to a tire shop ASAP.
Welcome to pothole season in Milwaukee.
Potholes are spreading like dandelions in Milwaukee
Around here, potholes pop up like dandelions. Some are small. Some are massive. And some are so deep and jagged they look like they could swallow a tire whole.
This pothole season feels worse than ever because when you combine all the construction taking place across the city with impatient and reckless drivers, getting from Point A to Point B becomes exhausting. It’s also getting expensive.
At this point, I would encourage our elected officials to put city workers on overtime and full weekend shifts just to fill these craters, because nobody has money to keep replacing $195 tires — especially with gas prices hovering around $5 a gallon.
My wife also now needs the steering control arms on her vehicle replaced because of pothole damage.
Potholes occur when water seeps into asphalt, freezes, and expands. The process causes pavement to crack and break apart. We understand that phenomenon and, for the most part, expect it, but all of this construction presents a completely different issue.
City officials say the best way to get a pothole filled is to report it to the Department of Public Works by calling 414-286-CITY (2489) or submitting an online report at https://city.milwaukee.gov/ReportPotholes.
I’ve called the 286-CITY number several times, and to the city’s credit, the potholes were fixed in a week or so. Yet as soon as one gets filled, three, four, or even ten more seem to appear.
The city should do everything possible to fix our roads. The Department of Public Works reports that pothole complaints in 2026 were up 65% from the seven-year average in the first three months of the year. Through April, more than 5,100 reports had already been logged, making 2026 one of the busiest years on record, according to TMJ4.
Potholes are not just a Milwaukee problem. While traveling recently, I came across potholes the size of kitchen sinks in Greenfield and others just as bad in Brown Deer.
Nationally, potholes cost drivers an estimated $26.5 billion in vehicle repairs in 2021, according to AAA. Roughly 1 in 10 drivers sustained damage, with average repair costs nearing $600, and more than 44 million drivers were affected in 2022. I’m sure the start of 2026 is much worse, especially here.
Good luck getting reimbursed by city of Milwaukee
As for my latest pothole encounter, I only needed a new tire. But my wife is facing an $800 repair next week.
Milwaukee drivers can file claims for pothole damage reimbursement, but city officials require two itemized estimates, a valid phone number, an email address, and a description of what happened to file a claim.
But there’s a catch. You have to prove the city was negligent by showing officials knew about the specific pothole you hit and failed to fix it in a timely manner.
Good luck with that. To file a claim with the city, go to https://city.milwaukee.gov/cityclerk/filingaclaim
In the meantime, the city needs to put pothole repair on steroids and start fixing these craters fast before even more drivers find themselves screaming curse words inside their cars.
Reach James E. Causey at jcausey@jrn.com; follow him on X @jecausey.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee pothole was so deep it made my butt cheeks clench | Opinion
Reporting by James E. Causey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
