The demise of bikes and cars everywhere--potholes are abundant in some parts of Austin, and one corporate restaurant chain wants to pave them away, but there's a catch.
KFC sent a letter to mayors in major cities, pushing the Colonel's campaign to help fill potholes in exchange for advertising. While some say "No way", others say "Why not?"
"I see no problem with it," Austin resident Juan Marroquin said.
KFC says they would fill the potholes, and place a temporary chalk-based logo over the patched up hole. But, the city opted to pass.
"We thought OK, it's $3,000 in a tough economy, let's look at it. Ultimately we did decide to decline the grant," Sara Hartley, Austin Public Works Dept. spokeswoman , said.
Each pothole KFC repairs would have a stamp of approval which reads "Re-freshed by KFC", and Hartley said that's a potential hazard on Austin roadways.
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KFC
News 8's Karina Kling found out why the city doesn't want the chicken to cross that road.
 
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"Depending on where you put those, you could end up with some
right in the middle of the lane. It could confuse people, potentially," Hartley said.
Others dislike the idea, because they say the promotional potholes would clutter Austin streets.
"It's going to look gaudy with KFC everywhere," Austin resident Autumn Whitfield said.
City officials said $3,000 would only pay for about 30 potholes, but some don't care how many, or where the cash comes from.
"It doesn't really matter whether it's the stamp of the Colonel, let's just cover the potholes," Marroquin said.
Austin officials said crews are out working to repair potholes daily, and anybody who comes across a bad one can call 311 to report it.
