Winter Weather Cause of Potholes

 

 

 

RALEIGH — North Carolina has seen its fair share of winter weather this season. While this may be fun for those of us who love to join a snowball fight, it’s not for motorists driving on roads. The N.C. Department of Transportation reminds motorists that this is a bad year for potholes and to keep an eye out while driving on roads throughout the state. We will continue to see potholes over the coming months.

 

NCDOT’s top priority is to provide a safe transportation system for North Carolina. Potholes are common during the winter months when moisture seeps into cracks in pavement, freezes, expands and then thaws. This causes cracks to widen or asphalt to rise. Traffic then loosens the pavement, which eventually crumbles, creating a pothole. North Carolina has seen several of these freeze-thaw cycles this winter.

 

Motorists play an important role in identifying potholes. If you see a pothole on a state-maintained road, report it to the NCDOT Customer Service Office at 1-877-368-4968, or send in a report online at www.ncdot.gov/contact. Scroll down to “Reporting” and use the drop-down menu to choose the county, then the link for a Contact Us email form that can be sent directly to that county's maintenance office. Provide as much detail as possible about the location of the pothole including the city or county, road name, nearest intersection, which lane the pothole is in, and the size and depth of the pothole. To report a pothole on a road that is not maintained by the state, contact the local municipality.

 

Extra crews have been assigned to respond to the large number of potholes occurring across the state. Since most asphalt plants are not operating during winter months and “hot mix” asphalt is not available, crews will use “cold patch,” as well as spray patchers, to patch the holes as an interim treatment. “Cold patch” is a premix that NCDOT stockpiles for winter pothole response. Crews will perform permanent patches with hot mix when it is available.

 

The department asks that motorists be patient with road crews as potholes are repaired throughout the state. Because of the high number of potholes, it may take weeks to make all necessary repairs. Potholes within travel lanes of major routes will be first priority.

 

AAA offers the following tips when encountering a pothole:

·        Avoid swerving. Swerving can cause loss of vehicle control.

·        Slow down. Carefully avoid impact with potholes. If a pothole can’t be avoided, slow down. Hitting a pothole at a high speed increases the chance of damage to the vehicle, and losing control.

·        Roll through. Rolling through the pothole is better than braking rapidly.

·        Properly inflate tires. Over-inflated and under-inflated tires increase risk of tire and wheel damage.

·        Avoid puddles that may conceal a deep pothole.