WILLISTON, Vt. (WCAX) – If you drive on Vermont roads, you’ve probably noticed it’s a bumpy ride out there. This year’s wacky winter is causing even more potholes for drivers and the crews that fix them.
Potholes have come early to Old Creamery Road in Williston.
“The snow doesn’t help us any. The freeze and thaw is really what draws the potholes out. And it’s our busy time of year with snow plowing, and then we have to get around and fill the potholes after. So, it’s tough for us to keep up with it but we try our best,” said Williston Highway Supervisor Carl von Stritzky.
He says crews try to get out every day to fill the potholes but that they also ask drivers to let them know if they find a bad one. “We can’t check every road every day. We’ve got 70 miles of road in this town so we can’t possibly be on every road at once,” von Stritzky said.
They fill the holes with a material called cold patch. It works during the winter when the asphalt plants are closed, but VTrans officials say it’s not as durable as hot mix. “The holes need to be dried and cleaned out, which obviously with what we’ve seen for weather is challenging to do,” said the agency’s Shauna Clifford. She says they are also always on the lookout but Vermonters can leave them a message on their website to report a bad area.
As crews work to help fix the road, the also urge drivers to pay attention. “If they do see us out there filling potholes, we may be in their way. But they’ve got to slow down and give us a chance to fix them. I know it’s an inconvenience, but it’s way less of an inconvenience than breaking their car on a hole,” von Stritzky said.