Pesky pothole pops tires on I-93
By Sarah Gantz, Globe Correspondent
Call it the killer pothole. Dozens of drivers required a towing service to get home tonight, after driving through a particularly egregious pothole on I-93 North near Exit 31.
"We've done about 30 calls since 5 p.m." because of the pothole, said Debbie Pizziferri, a dispatcher for Rigano's Towing in Malden.
Basil Rigano, one of the company's drivers, said he had towed at least seven cars damaged by the pothole. The family-owned towing company dispatched four drivers to the site, said Rigano.
Rigano, who drove through the pothole himself, guessed that it was about a foot deep.
Rigano's truck was not damaged, but other cars were not as sturdy. "It's bending the whole wheel." he said, "Some cars are getting two flats."
State Police shut down the right travel lane of the highway at about 7:20 p.m. after several people reported hitting the pothole, said Sergeant Robert Bousquet, a State Police spokesman.
"Once the police were notified, they did a great job about putting flares around and containing it," said Rigano. "People aren't hitting it anymore."
The Massachusetts Highway Department was called to repair the road, Bousquet said.
