Yes, there are more potholes on Kentucky roads after winter. A scientist explains why

If you plan to hit the road this spring, maybe for weekend hiking or camping at the Red River Gorge, and it feels like you’re hitting more potholes than you remember, it’s not in your head.

Two factors lead to the formation of potholes: heavy traffic and erosion by water. Both are particularly hard on road surfaces during the winter when snow is falling, streets are icing over and 2-ton snow plows are working to keep the roads clear.

Come springtime, you’ll likely see more crews out patching potholes or notice bigger cracks along Kentucky’s roadways. To understand why this is and the role water plays in the process, we spoke with Chris Groves, Ph.D., the director of the Crawford Hydrology Laboratory at Western Kentucky University and a university distinguished professor.

While Groves is careful to point out he isn’t a pothole expert, his insights into how water shapes landscapes can help us better understand what’s happening. Here’s what to know.

Why are there so many potholes after winter?

According to Groves, the basic fact you need to understand is water expands when it freezes.

You may have left a can of soda in the freezer and forgotten about it, only to come back later and discover a swollen, bloated can. The same thing happens when water penetrates the surface of the roadway, freezes, expands and exerts outward pressure.

Of course, there has to be cracks in the roadway to begin with, but once there are, water can begin to work under the surface, gradually warping it with multiple freeze/thaw cycles, and there’s little that can be done to stop it.

Groves notes the process can accelerate with multiple freeze/thaw cycles and is more of an issue in parts of the country that regularly move above and below freezing during the winter, rather than stay consistently cold or warm all winter.

“It’s actually kind of like a feedback process,” Groves told the Herald-Leader in an interview Monday. “The freezing and thawing is causing cracks. The cracks make it easier for more water to get in there.”

Rock salt used to de-ice roads also plays a role in damaging the road surface in that it can have corrosive effects. That damage is not just to the roadway, but also to cars, trucks and bridges, adding up to about $5 billion in annual repairs in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Is winter pavement damage inevitable?

Apart from some special surface resistant to cracking, there’s not much that can be done to prevent potholes from forming after cracks develop in the roadway. It’s likely why you see more crews on the road in the spring trying to be proactive and patch as many holes as possible.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet typically uses breaks in wintry weather to focus on maintaining state highways.

Lexington offers residents multiple ways to report potholes, including the following:

• Call LexCall 311 (or 859-425-2255) for assistance with nonemergency issues.

• Submit a service request online. You’ll get a service request number to track updates. The city typically tries to get potholes filled within two business days.

• Use the service request map to see where other reports have been made in the last 30 days.

To report an issue with a state road, call 859-246-2059 or 859-246-2355.

Do you have a question about infrastructure and transportation in Kentucky for our service journalism desk? Tell us via the Know Your Kentucky form below or send us an email at ask@herald-leader.com.