The longtime bane of motorists, potholes have gotten especially bad this year with a wet winter and dramatic temperature fluctuations. There are questions among the public about what is being done to remedy the problem and who to report discovered potholes to.
Potholes form from the expansion of water that has slipped through asphalt cracks on the road and into the ground below. When the water freezes and expands, it starts breaking down the foundation of the road to a point that it can no longer support the weight of motor vehicles and begins to crack. This past winter, freezing and thawing cycles severely affected the roads of Western Colorado.
These potholes have been a hot topic on social media in recent weeks. In some cases, alignment and tire damage have burdened unlucky motorists. One concerned citizen of the Roaring Fork Valley, Marty Stouffer, told The Sopris Sun that there are giant, “man-eating” potholes on County Road (CR) 100, also known as Catherine Store Road. He stated that he got the run around when he attempted to report the problem.
“CDOT [Colorado Department of Transportation] told me that these roads were the responsibility of Garfield County, but when I called Garfield County, they told me that it was the state’s responsibility,” Stouffer said.
So, who is responsible for the repairs?
According to Elise Thatcher, the communications manager for CDOT’s Northwestern Region Three, it can depend on precisely where the potholes are found. As for Catherine Store Road, she shared that CDOT is responsible for CR 100 from Highway 82 to the Frontage Road. However, south of the Frontage Road, CR 100 is to be maintained by Garfield County.
“The most important thing is that we need to know exactly where it is … It’s important to know whether the roadway is a CDOT roadway, like Highway 82 or Interstate 70 for example. If it’s a county, local or city roadway, contact the county or the city,” Thatcher stated.
She went on to explain that weather, materials used and the location of a pothole all factor into repairs.
“Weather is a significant factor for patching potholes, because the temperature affects what material we can put down to fix the pothole,” she said. “If there are colder temperatures, we’re limited to a cold mix material that can stay in the pothole to a certain degree, but it doesn’t bond as much to the roadway — and, it doesn’t last as long.”
Once temperatures are warmer and the weather is drier, CDOT can utilize a different bonding agent that sticks to the roadways better called hot mix.
This year, the state pledged $45 million to restore roads after the harsh winter, according to an April 20 press release. Approximately $25 million will go toward repairs to the most damaged areas of Northwestern Colorado.
“Right now, our superintendents who oversee roadway surface conditions around the state are assessing what area roadways and what parts of roadways have the worst conditions,” Thatcher said. “Once we have a sense of the worst locations, we can decide which of the areas … get that quick repair.”
According to another press release from April 27, drivers throughout Colorado should be prepared for traffic delays on state roadways as maintenance crews work to repair potholes. CDOT protocol determines that lane closures can be necessary to ensure safe working conditions for three-person minimum maintenance teams.
On average, it costs $60 per square yard and repairs can take between 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the size and depth of the pothole.
“It’s best to slow down so you can see the roadway conditions in front of you easily,” Thatcher concluded. “If you are commuting on a section of Highway 82 and you’ve noticed that potholes have developed, make sure to slow down in that section so you can see where there might be bigger potholes, so that you can safely drive around them.”
CDOT will provide more information on repairs as the season progresses. For more information on Northwestern Colorado Region Three and to report road damage, call 970-243-2368.