Motorists could be in for rough ride come spring

INDIANAPOLIS -- This winter's heavy snow and repeated freezing and thawing could make for a rough ride for motorists this spring, some experts say.\nOther ingredients, including use of tons of salt, heavy snowplows and already aging roads, also play a role in road conditions each spring.\nBut weather is the most significant contributor to the severity of potholes, especially excess water from snow or rain. Water can get into the pavement and form cracks that cause the pavement to weaken and break under pressure.\n"I think all the signs are there," said Tom Martin, an expert on road maintenance and head of a Purdue University-based program that advises local street and highway departments.\n"Mostly, I would say it's the constant freezing and thawing cycles that cause the most damage. And with all the snow, we've certainly seen that this year," he said.\nJust about every street and highway department has its own plan for road work, but they likely all originate from a 1981 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report, the "Pothole Primer."\nIt urges cities and towns to set up solid financial plans, pay special attention to drainage issues and stay on a routine maintenance schedule.\nThe document correctly predicted that more fuel-efficient cars would lower gas tax revenues and that political bodies would be slow to adjust.\nLocal government officials say a proposed change in the state gas tax, which provides highway funding, could help. A handful of mayors last week joined lobbyists at the Statehouse to push for a bill that would tie gas tax rates to inflation, raising more funds for roads.\nMatthew Greller, executive director of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, said that would end the annual ritual of begging for a tax increase that state politicians have been reluctant to approve.\nBeginning in the mid-1980s, the state's gas tax held steady at 15 cents per gallon until last year's 3-cent increase. That prevented many city streets, urban freeways and county roads from getting much-needed improvements.\nNow, after weeks of draining their budgets to fight this winter's snow and ice, many communities are facing even more delays of planned paving projects.\n"Budgets are going to be eaten up anytime we have heavy snows," Greller said. "Come spring, that leaves a shortfall"