Have potholes put a dent in your daily commute? If not, you might be in for a bumpy ride soon.
With spring right around the corner, warmer weather means more moisture and time for peak pothole occurrence, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT).
Potholes are particularly fruitful after a winter filled with multiple freeze-thaw cycles of heavy snow or rain.
Rising temperatures will begin to warm up the pavement and melt and evaporate any ice present. This results in air pockets that can lead to the pavement breaking up.
So far this calendar year, DelDOT’s Maintenance and Operation crews have filled 3,198 potholes, with $3.6 million of their $8.9 million budget for the fiscal year already spent, said a DelDOT representative.
What happens if you constantly hit potholes?
Aside from ruining a relaxing cruise around town, potholes are more than just an eyesore.
Jamie Foxwell, owner of Jamie’s Auto Repair in Newark, gets about one client a week needing car repairs due to pothole damage.
“At minimum, it will bruise the tire, which can cause a blowout. Worse than bruising a tire, it can actually bend a tire or crack a wheel. Besides that, it could damage suspension components like ball joints, suspension joints,” he said.
Foxwell recommends visiting a mechanic if your steering wheel feels crooked after hitting a pothole, as it is an immediate giveaway that something is wrong and your vehicle could be out of alignment.
For those of you who prefer the hit-and-run tactic, as in hitting a pothole and ignoring any small damages to your car, you might want to think twice.
“Let’s say you get lucky and it only messed up your tire. A tire on average is only $150. A wheel could be roughly $400,” said Foxwell.
Neglecting to fix issues with your tires or suspension struts could place a greater strain in other areas and cause other parts to go downhill.
How potholes are fixed
Depending on the size and condition of a pothole, DelDOT has different methods to repair them.
Cold patch, asphalt that can be used in lower temperatures and in rain, requires relatively low temperatures for production and remains pliable over time. It is used throughout the year when potholes need to be temporarily filled until a permanent patch can be placed.
The regular hot-mix, used in warmer months while asphalt plants are operational, hardens over time and is more durable than “cold-mix.”
If you noticed a pothole in your area was recently filled but opened up a few days later, that is not uncommon.
When conditions are cold or wet during pothole reparation, the material used to fill the pothole doesn’t stick as well to the surrounding pavement.
The best solution to potholes is to repair and repave the road, allowing the cause of the breakage to be corrected and preventing pothole patches from failing or leading to more cracks.
Pothole locations that could cause a safety hazard are often those of high traffic volume or high speed, and are usually given priority for repairs, according to DelDOT.
What to do if you see a pothole
DelDOT provides several ways for potholes on state-maintained roads to be reported to their team for treatment.
Potholes located on streets maintained by a town or city should be reported to the public works office or the city manager’s office in that location.
- Go online to https://www.deldot.gov/Traffic/ReportRoadCondition/index.shtml and fill out their roadway condition form.
- Call (302) 760-2080, 800-652-5600, or #77 to report a pothole or any other road maintenance issues.
- Email DelDOT at dotpublic@delaware.gov with information about the pothole you spotted.
- If you have the DelDOT app, select “Report an Issue” and fill out the form.
DelDOT crews will investigate each report and schedule repairs according to the severity of the pothole and available resources.
