Jan 4, 2008 6:22 pm US/Central
Snowy Winter Brings Bumper Crop Of Potholes
Crews Fill 1,000 Potholes Per Day In Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
The snowiest winter Chicago has seen in a couple of years brings with it another problem for drivers: potholes. The cold, the salt and the plowing are all take a big toll on our roads.
As CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports, it's slow going for this public works crews as they try and make fast work of a bumper crop of potholes.
North Riverside Public Works Director Tim Kutt says the potholes this year are worse than last winter's.
"I would say were running around a third more tonnage in coal patch than we did last year," Kutt said.
That's because last month Mother Nature dumped nearly twice as much snow on Chicagoland as during a typical December. That's called for even more plowing, which can also wreak havoc on roads.
"With the amount of snow plowing we've had in December we're taking that loose sediment and blowing it off to the side of the street creating a void, a pothole," Kutt said.
But the biggest culprit is the tag team of moisture and the freeze thaw cycle. Potholes form when water seeps down through cracks into the street underneath the asphalt. Then it freezes, expands and pops out chunks of the street,
Drivers say potholes are popping up in greater numbers.
"I have noticed it's been worse than in years in the past," said driver Julie Stack.
"I think they're coming out popping out faster," said Elizabeth Polte.
In Chicago they're filling and tamping down more than 1,000 potholes a day and with warmer temperatures in the forecast they could be filling significantly more than that.
"We are anticipating seeing a jump in potholes over the weekend," said Chicago Department of Transportation spokesperson Brian Steele.
Eighteen crews spent the entire day Friday filling in potholes that cropped up in the Grand and Harrison area. This weekend they'll turn their focus to Lake Shore Drive.
Filling those potholes is no easy task. There are 3,800 miles of roadway in Chicago alone. Crews typically repair 200,000 to 250,000 potholes each year.
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