DUI? Nope, Woman Stopped for DAP (Driving Around Potholes)

A little more than two weeks ago, an anonymous caller phoned Oak Creek police reporting a possible drunken driver.

An officer caught up with her near 13th and Drexel and pulled her over. But he found that the driver wasn't drunk at all - she was swerving on Howell Avenue to avoid potholes.

Yes, the only thing more certain than winter in Wisconsin is the inevitable potholes that follow it.

That's certainly been the case after the pounding southeastern Wisconsin took in February. The freezing-and-thawing cycle isn't good to local roads and it shows when rocky roads become even rockier. 

The Oak Creek Street Department is trying to stay on top of it and has made patching potholes part of its daily routine, Street Superintendent Mike Lampe said. 

"We got our fair share of potholes out there," he said. "Crews are out there every day trying to stay on top of it."

Oak Creek city streets are in decent shape, Lampe said, though he added scattered problems have been reported throughout the city.

Some are the usual suspects - Puetz Road, 20th Street between Rawson and College, Sunnyview Drive, Country Drive and some subdivisions.

Lampe noted the department often gets calls for streets that are the responsibility of another government entity, such as Milwaukee County, Caledonia, South Milwaukee or Milwaukee.

13th Street, for example, is in terrible shape. But it being a county road, the city doesn't maintain it. 

To find out which government entities take care which roads, the city has posted a handy map on its website that residents are encouraged to look at before they call the Street Department.