by MINNEAPOLIS — The roads in Minnesota have been bumpy to say the least this spring. Potholes are a problem every year but it seems like they are worse this spring than in previous years.
Last month, the city of Minneapolis proposed a $1 million plan to add additional crews and offer overtime to its workers to help efficiently fill all of the potholes.
Joe Paumen, the director of the Transportation Maintenance & Repair division of Minneapolis Public Works, said they expect most of the potholes won’t be filled until the end of April.
The delay in pothole filling has frustrated many across the state including Minneapolis residents David Okematti and Adam Block.
“I feel like there’s just more potholes in the area,” Okematti said. “It’s almost like every few feet you drive, you have to swerve a couple of potholes so it gets pretty bad, and it messes with your car’s suspension. So it’s pretty hard to drive these days.”
Block said he’s also scared these pesky potholes will mess up his car.
“I feel like if I hit one pothole, I am scared my whole suspension will go out and I’ll lose a tire,” he said.
So how do these potholes pop up so quickly?
Freezing and thaw cycles are the problem.
When precipitation seeps into the cracks of asphalt and concrete, and it gets colder outside, it freezes and then thaws when it warms up. The more freeze and thaw cycles there are, the more “popping” there is that happens.
Or in other words, the more holes it creates for bigger potholes that make driving conditions treacherous for almost anywhere you go.
Peter Hilger, the faculty director of the Construction Management Program at the University of Minnesota, also told me vehicles driving on the roads push a lot of frost into the ground.
The problem here is that “there’s a limited capacity below the surface to absorb water that might ordinarily go through,” Hilger said.
This combination of force exerted on the roads along with freeze and thaw cycles creates the perfect storm for potholes so big, repair crews have had to place barriers to signal to drivers to avoid these pieces of roads.
But until all of these potholes have been filled with hot mix by repair crews, it will be a bumpy ride.
You can report any potholes you encounter until they are filled. For those living in Minneapolis, the city wants people to call them via the 311 system. And for those living in greater Minnesota, MnDOT wants people to submit a request online.
