By Anna Skinner
Winter weather not only makes roads slick and sometimes dangerous to drive on with snow and ice, but the cold air also leads to another road issue – potholes.
Some may be thrilled with the slightly warmer weather after the snowfall Jan. 12, but the Indiana Dept. of Transportation recently issued a release on how the warmer weather is a prime condition to forming potholes.
One of the conditions of a pothole forming is the freeze thaw cycle that central Indiana has recently been experiencing.
“Cracks develop in pavement from aging, traffic wear and winter freeze-thaw cycles. Potholes begin when water seeps into these cracks and freezes, expanding the layers of pavement, stone and soil. As the ice melts and contracts, heavy highway traffic further loosens the pavement, forming potholes,” a press release from INDOT stated.
City of Westfield officials said there is not necessarily anything street employees can do to prevent the potholes, but urged residents to use WeConnect as a way of keeping vigilant in regards to roads.
“There isn’t anything we can do to prevent potholes this time or year. During warmer months we perform crack sealing. Crack sealing is one of the best preventative maintenances that can be done to maintain roadways,” said Travis Stetnish, street superintendent for the city. “Crack sealing prevents water from infiltrating the asphalt. When water infiltrates asphalt and freezes, a pothole is formed. Today a pothole was reported through WeConnect, which is the city’s online system residents can use to report on issues like potholes. We repaired it with cold patch which is the only option when asphalt plants are not running asphalt.”
WeConnect can be found on the city website, www.westfield.in.gov, or through the city app, available through Apple and Android app stores.
