Potholes are appearing earlier this year than normal due to varying temperatures and last year’s record rainfall, according to the State Highway Administration.
The holes, which form when water seeps into the pavement and freezes and the pavement expands and cracks from the weight of vehicle traffic, usually appear in early spring.
However, the SHA has already seen reports of potholes in 2019 and said they are expecting more calls within the coming days, thanks to heavy rain and the freeze-thaw cycle typical of this time of year.
The amount of money Maryland spent on pothole repairs doubled between 2008 and 2017 – from $2 million per year to $4 million, said John Townsend, AAA mid-Atlantic spokesman.
Pothole damage could cost car owners around $300 a year, he said, as they can cause blown tires and dented rims.
“One in five drivers – that’s 20 percent – report, in our section of the country, sustaining vehicle damage that required repairs as a result of hitting a pothole,” Townsend said.
Shanteé Felix, SHA spokeswoman, said that until temperatures consistently reach above 50 degrees, the agency’s maintenance crews do temporary patching of potholes. The temporary patching is done through the use of “cold patch asphalt.” After temperatures reach 50, a more durable “hot mix asphalt” is applied.
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation saw close to 5,500 pothole repair requests in the last year, strategic communications manager Maureen McNulty said. This is a typical number for the department, she said, which does not repair roads in municipalities within the county, such as Rockville or Takoma Park.
The county usually examines and repairs potholes in three business days, though some of the more extensive cases may take longer to patch.
“There are four dedicated crews that patrol in pothole trucks every weekday, weather permitting,” she said. “This is a year-round effort for the department, it’s not something that’s just seasonal in the winter and spring.”
Besides pothole repair, Montgomery County’s 21 municipalities also provide certain services to their residents independently from the county, such as trash and recycling services.
While the county, albeit spanning a greater area, responds to repair requests within a few business days, the Takoma Park Public Works Department tries to fill potholes within 24 hours of a report.
“We treat them as an emergency,” said Takoma Park Public Works Director Daryl Braithwaite. “If someone had car damage as a result of a pothole that we were aware of, we would be liable if we didn’t fix it.”
Weather conditions are not the only culprit behind pothole-ridden roads – age and upkeep also play an important role, according to Braithwaite.
“Streets tend to fall apart when they get old … the city’s been investing in that over the last 10 years or so, and I think that’s part of the reason why the pothole problem isn’t severe, because we try to resurface roads anytime they fall beneath a certain standard,” Braithwaite said.
Montgomery County residents are encouraged to report any potholes they encounter, including information about their size and location, either through addresses or reference points such as nearby intersections or businesses, at the Montgomery County Department of Transportation website or through municipality websites.
“The public’s our best eyes and ears,” Felix said.
