Just as Milwaukee felt more like spring on Wednesday, an orange traffic cone sprouted from a pothole at North Hopkins and West Villard.
From January 1st through last weekend the City of Milwaukee has received 116 reports of potholes.
"This pothole is a monster," Marvin Darby said.
Darby owns Smitty's Auto World at the intersection.
"I can name 3-4 people that hit that, including me, that needed tires after hitting this pothole. So it's a curse and a blessing, help me make money around here at the same time it's costing me money," Darby explained.
Rob Williams told TMJ4 News that the first time he hit this specific pothole it was during his drive to work around 4 a.m. and that he lost a tire.
"Luckily, I had a spare. Got that fixed. Made it to work on time," Williams stated. "I hit it again not remembering where it was at."
Williams says that the pothole cost him about $120 for a new tire the second time he hit it.
When Williams saw other drivers having issues he planted the orange cone and shared it on social media where he tagged the city.
"Just give people heads up, see them some money save them some time," Williams said.
He also submitted a request online and over the phone to fix it after he found out about the formal reporting process.
Before the day was done, the flashing yellow lights were there signaling a crew was on it.
A spokesperson for the Department of Public Works told TMJ4 that they received two reports on Wednesday for the crater. That combined with the pothole's condition helped them prioritize it.
"It's great and they move fast," Darby said while watching the crews at work.
"It was great to see my hard work and my message get out there," Williams responded.
Like so many others Williams did not initially know he could report a pothole. He hopes his efforts motivate others.
"If you do see a pothole, call. Say something. It takes a community to fix these streets," Williams pressed.
"Hopefully it stays," Darby said.
If you think the city is responsible for any damage you can file a claim on the city's website.
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