The seasonal plague of potholes returns
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Vehicles drive through potholes at the intersection of Locust and East Hallam in Washington on Thursday, February 21, 2019.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Potholes are shown at Locust and East Hallam in Washington recently.
First comes the cold.
Then comes the snow.
And then come the potholes.
Early March is the time of year when we hope the worst of winter is behind us, but the best of spring is still weeks away, and potholes that dot streets and roads are tangible reminders of the carnage winter has wrought.
Potholes are typically generated when water seeps into the ground beneath the pavement. The freezing water then leads the pavement to crack and break. Plows that traverse streets and roads can exacerbate the problem, tearing off the patches that have been placed on potholes. This allows water to seep back into the holes, putting road and street crews back to square one. In addition, road salt lowers the freezing point of water, and that extends the freezing and thawing cycle.
This winter hasn’t been notably worse than any of our recent cold-weather seasons, according to Valerie Petersen, a spokeswoman for PennDOT. “This year appears to be about the same as previous years,” she said.
For PennDOT, the interstates are at the top of the list when it comes to repairing potholes, with secondary roads following.
“Every year, we experience quite a few potholes in our area – and our crews fill them,” Petersen said.
From his observations, Waynesburg has experienced roughly the same or an increased number of potholes compared to previous seasons, according to Mike Simms, the borough’s manager.
Temporary cold patch is being used to fill them now, with more permanent fixes being applied later in the spring, when asphalt producers start their work.
Crews in Waynesburg “are out every day patching potholes,” Simms said.
Butch Main, the road crew foreman in Canton Township, said the township’s crews are out filling potholes “two or three days a week for the last couple of weeks.” Though Main thinks the number of potholes on streets and roads is “just a little bit worse” in comparison to 2018, “for the most part we’re keeping up.”
The annual plague of potholes has been a headache for municipalities and PennDOT, but it’s kept busy businesses that repair cars. AAA has estimated that potholes cost American drivers about $3 billion every year, with damaged suspension systems, bent wheels and flat tires the most common issues arising from vehicle-versus-pothole accidents.
“I still think last year was the worst year I’d ever seen,” said Kevin Becker, the manager of Coen Tire in Washington. “But we’re still seeing the normal things that people bring in.”
In Perry Township, Fayette County, Supervisor AJ Boni said the number of potholes is “definitely up.”
Boni estimated they’ve been cold-patching 15 to 20 potholes a day, only to find they need resealed as temperatures drop and the patches freeze and pop off.
A cold patch is an asphalt mix that allows the material to remain flexible in freezing weather, so crews can work with it.
“The cold patch material is simply placed into the pothole with a shovel and then compacted. After a short time, the material will become hard,” said PennDOT’s Petersen. “Although this is designed to be a temporary repair, cold patch jobs can last two or more years.”
Boni said one of the worst areas for potholes in the township is Memorial Drive, which used to be old Route 51 and is basically a concrete road under blacktop. The road is porous, and water seeps through it and then freezes.
“As soon as we get through this and once the weather breaks, we’ll get some good materials in there and then we’ll do some of our paving projects,” Boni said.
Petersen said most permanent pothole patching is completed in the spring when the temperatures are consistently above freezing, with cold patches being used during the winter, weather permitting.
George Kosisko, the street foreman with the City of Connellsville, said the cold spell has kept him and his crew busy with filling potholes, adding they patched hundreds of potholes this year so far.
“Just be patient with us,” Kosisko said. “We’re getting as many as we can.”
Along with other duties the road crew needs to address, such as the removal of tree branches and debris after recent strong winds, Kosisko said they’ve been trying to go through at least two truckloads of patching material per day.
A truckload can patch between 20 and 25 average-size potholes.
“What’s frustrating is after you patched them, you drive around and you’d think you didn’t do any,” Kosisko said.
Once the weather breaks, Kosisko said they’ll be able to head out to take time and properly fill more potholes. Anyone who’s got a bad one is welcome to call and leave a message, he said, at 724-628-2020, ext. 301.
The owner of a Brownsville auto-repair business said he’s been keeping more than busy.
“I can definitely tell you in the last two weeks, we’ve had three different vehicles with broken springs,” said Joe Lacey of Lacey’s Auto Repair.
Along with broken springs, Lacey said potholes can wreak havoc on struts and wheels. And repairs aren’t cheap. Lacey said the damaged springs each came with a $1,000 repair bill.