REPORT A POTHOLE
See a pothole? Call and report it. * Interstates and Tennessee state routes: 423-892-3430 * City of Chattanooga: 311 * Catoosa County roads: 706-935-3574 * Walker County roads: 706-375-5601 * Dade County roads: 706-935-3574 * Whitfield County: 706-278-7167 * Northwest Georgia state routes: 706-272-2211
It's been a great winter in the Chattanooga area -- for potholes.
"They're everywhere, man," city Public Works Administrator Lee Norris said. "It's that time of year."
This winter has produced an "unusually high number of potholes," Norris said, thanks to repeated freeze and thaw cycles and a lot of precipitation.
Potholes form when moisture seeps into the pavement, freezes, expands and then thaws, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. That weakens pavement, TDOT says, and traffic loosens it even more until the asphalt eventually crumbles and pops out.
It's hard to properly patch asphalt this time of year, Norris said, since area asphalt plants only produce "cold patch" material good for temporary repairs. Asphalt plants don't make hot asphalt until spring, he said.
Nevertheless, Chattanooga keeps two pothole patching trucks -- one on the north side of the Tennessee River and one on the south side -- working full-time, year-round. The crews fix about 1,000 potholes a month, Norris said. They'll put cold patch on potholes as a temporary fix and then return when it's warmer to patch with hot asphalt.
Norris encourages drivers to call and report potholes to 311, the roughly decade-old city phone number through which public works fields and tracks calls about potholes and other complaints from residents, such as recycling not being picked up.
"Please call 311," Norris said. "That's the main way we get to find out about [potholes]."
TDOT is responsible for fixing potholes on interstate highways and state routes, such as Highway 153, a pothole-ridden route in Hixson lined with retail outlets including Wal-Mart, Target and Northgate Mall.
But TDOT's road crews were gearing up Wednesday for the expected snow storm -- not patching potholes.
"After this stuff is all over with, we'll get back to patching potholes," said Jennifer Flynn, spokeswoman from TDOT's Region 2, which covers 24 counties, including Hamilton and every county around it.
"It's just a bad time of year for potholes," she said.
Contact staff writer Tim Omarzu at tomarzu@timesfreepress.com or www.facebook.com/tim.omarzu or twitter.com/TimOmarzu or 423-757-6651.
WHAT MAKES A POTHOLE?
* Potholes are created when moisture seeps into the pavement, freezes, expands and then thaws. This weakens the pavement. Traffic loosens it even more, and it eventually crumbles and pops out. * Why do so many potholes occur in the spring? Spring temperatures warm the cold pavement, melting and evaporating any ice. This creates air pockets that can eventually cause the pavement to break up. A winter of heavy snow or rain and several freeze-thaw cycles can mean a big pothole season ahead. * Why don't the repairs last longer? When conditions are cold or wet, the material used to patch potholes doesn't stick as well to the surrounding pavement as when conditions are dry and warm. During the winter months, asphalt plants are closed and hot asphalt is not available until spring. In the meantime, workers typically use a material called "cold mix" that isn't always as durable. * How are potholes repaired permanently? The pothole is carved out to create a neat rectangle. When the excess asphalt is removed, an adhesive is applied and asphalt is added in layers. It is leveled off and compacted with a pavement roller. * Do some roads have more potholes than others? Roads with lots of traffic have more potholes because of the amount of use. Bridges and ramps, which receive heavy doses of snow-removal chemicals in the winter, are more prone to potholes. * Can anything be done to prevent potholes? Roads today are built to reduce their moisture capacity, and researchers are working to develop better, more durable pavement materials and designs. Researchers also have improved the cold-patch asphalt so those patches last longer. Source: Tennessee Department of Transportation