After snow and ice, potholes become latest highway hazard

Monday, January 13, 2014

First the enemy was snow and ice, and now make way for the latest Hoosier roadway foe -- cracks and holes in the pavement.

West-central Indiana drivers are urged to be on alert for potholes on interstates, U.S. highways and state routes, Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) officials advise.

The rise and fall in temperatures following last week's severe winter weather created a recipe for potholes to form quickly. And as temperatures continue to rise and fall through the winter season, more potholes are likely to form.

When INDOT crews are not clearing snow, ice or storm debris, they are focused on maintaining and preserving the state's roads and bridges, which mainly consists of pothole patching in the winter months.

INDOT crews worked at the end of last week and on and off over the weekend to fill potholes in various areas of west-central Indiana. Crews are filling potholes as quickly as possible, but with 5,000 lane miles to maintain in the West Central District alone, it's a big job.

Potholes begin when water seeps into the cracks in a road and freezes, expanding the layers of pavement, stone and soil beneath the surface. As the ice melts and contracts, heavy highway traffic further loosens the pavement, forming potholes.

With temperatures too low for paving, most of Indiana's hot mix asphalt plants are now closed. During the winter INDOT uses cold mix -- a mixture of small stone and liquid asphalt -- as a temporary patch.

Even after being filled with cold patch, the same pothole requires ongoing maintenance and can reopen several times throughout the winter. When the asphalt plants reopen in the spring, INDOT maintenance crews clean out and then repair potholes with hot mix, providing a smoother, more permanent fix.

For the past several years, INDOT has been expanding its Pavement Preservation Program to improve pavement friction and seal tiny cracks before potholes form. For every dollar invested, research estimates that pavement preservation saves taxpayers $6 to $14 in future maintenance and construction costs.

Pavement preservation also uses fewer natural resources than reconstruction and significantly reduces motorist inconvenience, INDOT officials note.

To report a pothole on a numbered state route, interstate or U.S. highway, persons may call 1-888-WC-INDOT.

INDOT urges motorists to slow down and stay alert when encountering pavement maintenance crews. Drivers can monitor road conditions and traffic alerts across the state at any time. Visit www.TrafficWise.IN.gov or dial toll-free 800-261-ROAD (7623) for INDOT information.

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  • If it's not one thing, it's another.

    -- Posted by donantonioelsabio on Mon, Jan 13, 2014, at 7:53 PM
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