As the weather continues to fluctuate between warm and cold, it can unfortunately cause ideal conditions for pothole formation.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler explained why the damp, dynamic conditions can result in these unwanted road hazards.
Ritzler said, “Potholes generally form from water on the road and it gets into the cracks on the roadway and then as the water turns to ice and it expands and then contracts and that expansion and contraction over time, causes the structure of the pavement to deteriorate.”
As a preventative measure, Ritzler says they do crack-sealing on roads to keep water from entering the cracks in the first place. He also said since freezing and thawing is so common around this time of year, they have heavy truck laws to keep bigger vehicles off certain roads to keep them from cracking.
Superintendent Ritzler said they’ve been lucky so far this year but he’s concerned about the next few weeks. He encouraged citizens to call the highway department if they happen upon any potholes that need to be fixed. Ritzler said they do their best to keep up with them but often times, they form suddenly. People should feel free to call if they happen to encounter any potholes during their daily commute.
Pulaski County Highway Superintendent Terry Ruff and Assistant Superintendent Gary Kruger said they haven’t noticed any potholes or received any calls so far this year. However, they expect to have their trucks out resurfacing roads and patching any potholes that do pop up once the weather improves in March or April.
In order to report road problems in Pulaski County call 574-946-3942. To speak with a member of the Starke County Highway Department call 574-772-3011
Only county roads are handled by the highway departments, state highways are handled by INDOT. To alert INDOT of about an issue, follow the ‘report a concern’ link at potholes.indot.in.gov.
