Amplify’d from www.nytimes.com

On Patrol for the Casualties of Potholes By COREY KILGANNON Jose Antonio Cruz carries the tools of roadside salvation, but few would describe him as popular. With melting snow, road salt and snowplows teaming up to assault the roadways since late December, many street surfaces are crumbling and becoming pockmarked with potholes. As fast as the city fills them, new ones open up — little roadside craters that can cause untold damage to vehicles. And if those vehicles happen to be in the East Bronx, their drivers may encounter Mr. Cruz, a tow truck driver who patrols that territory. “New York is Pothole City right now,” Mr. Cruz said. “Everyone is driving through an obstacle course. These streets will take your car away in a heartbeat.” Mr. Cruz, 52, looks the part of grizzled tow truck driver, with his wraparound sunglasses and a baseball hat pulled over a bandanna fastened around his head. He patrols several local parkways, looking for disabled cars and listening to his two-way radio for rescue calls. When asked to explain the origin of a pothole, he leans heavily on allegory. “It’s a little like when you’re eating oatmeal in the morning,” he said, deftly weaving between cars on the Throgs Neck Expressway. “You start in one spot and start to work your way in, till the hole keeps expanding.” Read more at www.nytimes.com

 

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