It's the beginning of pothole season

There's always one thing that tells me spring has sprung. Nope, not green grass or warmer temperatures....it's the damn potholes! :lol: Being in the concrete industry, I've learned allot about the causes of these little monsters over the years. Here's a brief summary....The largest contributing factor in pothole creation is freeze-thaw cycles. The resulting water from melt-off of snow & ice seeps beneath the pavement through cracks caused by the wear and tear of traffic. As the temperatures cool to freezing at night, the water becomes ice and expands below the pavement, forcing the pavement to rise. As the weight of traffic continues to pound on this raised section – and the temperatures once again rise above freezing – a shallow divot occurs under the surface and the pavement breaks, forming a pothole.

 In other words, the water seepes in and freezes...freezing causes expansion, so when the ice melts, there's nothing left except a void. You run over that void with your vehicle and the top caves in, exposing the void. Wash, rinse, repeat until you have a hole big enough to swallow a Volkswagon. How bad your roads are in the spring is usually in direct relation to your region's annual average number ot freeze-thaw cycles.

And the problem is not limited to state roadways. Do you have a concrete or asphalt driveway? It stands the risk of the same thing happening if the surface has cracks or other voids for water to seep into and freeze. Concrete should be sealed every year (two at the most) to avoid this. If you have cracks, caulk them with an elasometric joint sealant specifically made for concrete. If you don't, the crack will continue to widen over time.