Pothole season starts early in region

See-sawing temperatures going from 60 to zero and back to normal have brought potholes out much earlier in the year than normal. 

PennDOT’s Gene Blaum says the freeze-thaw cycle combined with plenty of rain and snow has potholes blooming throughout our region.

“Normally the potholes we see on the road today is more indicative of what we would see in mid to late February and pothole season usually carries through the middle part of March,” he said.

Blaum says until spring, the holes can only be fixed temporarily because the asphalt plants close down in the cold weather.

“We have a cold patch material that primarily we are using,” Blaum said. “These are temporary patches we have asphalt ovens that we can put the material in to warm it which is especially important especially in these more frigid temps we’ve been dealing with.”

To report craters in Pennsylvania you can call 1-800 Fix Road. If it’s on a county or city roadway you can call their highway department or in Philadelphia, 3-1-1.