Pittsburgh Mills has spent much of its 20-year existence as part of the discussion about dying malls around the area adn the country.

But lately, it’s potholes — not vacancies — that have people talking. These are not ordinary potholes — we’re talking three-foot-wide, one-foot-deep, bone-rattling holes that have damaged cars and deterred shoppers. For years, owner Namdar Realty has done little to fix roads.

It wasn’t until Monday that a crew hired by the mall appeared to patch the worst of the potholes. However, a full repair job is estimated to cost $4.5 million.

TribLive followed the story as it snowballed into code violations, a civil suit, and even criminal charges against the mall’s owners.

TribLive reporter Jack Troy talks with fellow reporter Shaylah Brown about the story.