Springtime means potholes in Indiana

Spring is just a little more than a week away and springlike weather is expected in the coming days, but one harbinger of spring is already evident throughout Indiana -- potholes.\n"We're anticipating it will be a rough year for potholes," said Roger Manning, a state Department of Transportation spokesman. "Just judging from the early reports that we're getting from around the state, it's going to be a tough year."\nPotholes form when moisture gets under the pavement, freezes and expands. The ice pushes the ground down, pushes the asphalt up and leaves behind a gap that later causes the road to crumble when vehicles pass over it.\nFreeze-thaw cycles, especially when mixed with rain, can aggravate the problem, Manning said.\nAdding to the bone-jarring problem this year is the fact that many cities and counties, especially in central Indiana, already have gone over budget this year for snow removal and salting of roads. There isn't much money left for filling potholes.\n"It's a huge problem statewide, from as far north as South Bend to as far south as Jeffersonville," said Andrea Johnson, deputy director of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns. "Municipal officials are very concerned about it. For the most part, they don't know what they're going to do."\nSome cities are looking at making cuts elsewhere to offset the costs of filling potholes.\n"There's no quick fix," she said.\nThe city of Indianapolis announced Tuesday an accelerated plan to fill potholes after being hit by 50 inches of snow this winter, the fourth-snowiest ever for the city.\n"The extremely tough winter has left a lasting reminder of the abuse our streets take during extended periods of snow and ice," Mayor Bart Peterson said. "Today, we transition from clearing our streets day in and day out to filling the telltale signs of a stubborn winter that just won't go away."\nThe city's plan calls for the city to create three two-man emergency crews that will respond to the most serious potholes reported and to double the number of repair crews on the streets to 19 five- or six-man crews. The plan will cost $1.1 million and the city's Department of Public Works will need to request supplemental funding from the City-County Council.\nTowns, cities and counties around the state are facing the same problem.\n"Pothole issues are always worse when winter is bad. We have to spend more on snow removal, then we have to spend more on potholes," said Bill Haan, executive director of the Indiana Association of County Commissioners. "A lot of counties don't know how they're going to do about the potholes, because when the pot is empty, there's nothing to put in there."\nThe problem is not one that can wait, either. If potholes are not fixed quickly they grow into bigger problems that will affect the safety of the roads, Manning said.\n"Otherwise, you've reduced the life-span of the remainder of your roadway," Manning said. "Fighting potholes is truly a year-round activity"