According to Caltrans data obtained by CBS News California Investigates, there were 30,000 Caltrans damage claims due to potholes, debris or other dangers on state freeways between 2018 and mid-2023.
The number of damage claims submitted to Caltrans by drivers tripled in just the first half of 2023 compared to full years’ worth of claims during the previous five years.
Back in 2018, Caltrans approved about 10% of claims. However the number of approved claims dropped to just 4% according to data through mid-2023. (Not including claims that did not have status information or were still pending.)
ALSO READ: Pothole damage claims on California freeways triple while Caltrans payouts drop by half. Why? CBS News California Investigates.
How many claims did drivers submit in your county? How many did Caltrans approve? Use the interactive charts below to find out.
In the Sacramento region, US 80 tops the list of complaints with nearly 900 claims between 2018 and mid-2023, followed by Highway 50 and I-5.
In the Bay Area, US 101 had the most incidents resulting in claims with more than 2,000. Those claims were concentrated between East Palo Alto and Redwood Shores, South San Francisco and Brisbane and on the 10-mile stretch from the San Jose Airport through Mountain View.
There were also a lot of claims on 580, 680 and 280.
In Southern California, the 5 freeway had the most incidents resulting in claims with problem areas in Orange County between Laguna Hills and San Juan Capistrano and from San Fernando through Santa Clarita up to Castaic.
There were also a lot of claims on the 405, the 10 and the 210.
Source Agencies
