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Are potholes a problem this year for local motorists?
Winona Lake Street Superintendent Bart Jones said a pothole "is the process of freezing and thawing."
Jones said the roadbed freezes and the sun heats the pavement up. The ice thaws, causing the pavement to crack. The cracks fill with water and freeze and thaw, creating a pothole. Traffic causes the potholes to grow.
Kosciusko County Highway Street Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson said: "Yes, it (potholes) is a problem this year. What happened is we had an early thaw."
He said the thaw occurred around the "early part of March" and "we ended up having a lot of potholes in some areas."
Ladson said the problem was that the "asphalt plants were not open at that time."
He's referring to plants such as Phend and Brown Inc. and Niblock Excavating.
The problem did not go unresolved. Ladson said he and the street department went to Niblock in Whitley County and were able to get what they needed to fix the potholes.
"It has been a problem and I think at this point we're starting to get caught up," Ladson said. "We had a late start on getting going."
As for motorists, Ladson advised them to "definitely be patient. All motorists need to slow down regardless of potholes."
Jones said potholes are "pretty much a natural occurrence."
Natural occurrence or not, Jones said, "It's not as bad as in the past. I don't think it's a real bad problem this year."
As for what Jones and the Winona Lake Street Department plan to do with the existing potholes, Jones said: "We keep an eye on them." He also said they can't just go out to fill one or two potholes because "it's not efficient and cost effective," so the Winona Lake street department waits until "a bunch of them" occur.
Jones said they'll "spend a day or two and fill what's needed."
When encountering potholes, Ladson reminds motorists to "be patient and slow down."
Warsaw Street Superintendent Lacy Francis could not be reached for comment.
