Just because there isn’t a pothole now doesn’t mean one won’t be threatening your car in the same spot tomorrow.
For the past week, the Indiana Department of Transportation has sent out crews to repair potholes along Interstate 65, from State Road 58 at the Walesboro-Ogilville exit south to the U.S. 50 interchange in Seymour.
More than just occasional asphalt patches for northbound and southbound lanes were sometimes required along the 14-mile stretch, said INDOT spokesman Harry Maginity.
On Wednesday, lane closures were necessary to repair significantly large holes and reapply temporary striping worn off during inclement weather, Maginity said.
In areas where damage has been so extensive that entire sections required repaving, crews have been doing their work at night, Maginity said.
Motorists on I-65 should keep in mind that the worst potholes tend to develop along center line pavement joints, which is where two lanes paved at different times are joined together, the INDOT spokesman said.
Potholes also tend to develop frequently in left lanes, as well as near bridges, Maginity said.
Elsewhere in our area, INDOT crews have also patching potholes along U.S. 31 northwest of Columbus, as well as along State Road 46 between Nashville and Bloomington, he said.
“There is a real initiative to chase after these potholes immediately after they develop,” Maginity said. “Anyplace there is a crack, there are potential problems.”
However, the problem is that more extreme freeze and thaws are expected in the coming weeks, so motorists should be prepared for more potholes to suddenly develop in unexpected areas, Maginity said.
Besides freezes and thaws, recent flooding has also worsened the pothole problem, he said.
Roads least likely to develop potholes are the ones that have undergone a recent chip-and-seal treatment, he said.
Roughly three times less expensive than new blacktop, chip-and-seal treatments usually repair cracks for at least five years, Bartholomew County Highway Superintendent Dwight Smith said.
Currently, south central Indiana isn’t even close to having the worst pothole problems in the Hoosier state, Maginity said. In fact, some INDOT crews from Bartholomew County are being sent to work night shifts in Marion County to make repairs, he said.
That’s where at least six cars were damaged Feb. 7 after hitting an especially deep hole on I-65 on the far north side of Indianapolis.
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To report a pothole on an interstate highway, U.S. highway, or state road, Hoosiers can go online to indot4u.com, and click on Report A Concern.
Reports can also be made by calling 855-463-6848.
When reporting a pothole, please provide the following information:
- The name of the county
- The state road number
- The mile marker or nearest cross road
- The direction of travel and which lane the pothole is located
Source: Indiana Department of Transportation
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