A snowy January combined with big temperature swings are creating perfect conditions for pothole formation in Southern Colorado.
If you’ve lived here for awhile…you’ve likely encountered plenty of potholes between late winter and spring. We’re used to navigating around road work vehicles fixing the damage our roads take from weather. But this January has placed more stress on our roads than usual.
Temperatures Just this past week in Colorado Springs our temperatures have swung from 6 degrees Thursday morning to 48 on Friday and Monday… and everywhere in between.
Potholes begin as cracks in the road. Regular wear and tear as we drive over our roads is all it takes to produce these small cracks.
When snow falls on our roads - some of it packs into these cracks. And when snow melts, the water flows into the cracks too. Our wet January this year has provided plenty of these opportunities.
Colorado frequently experiences bigger temperature swings than other states. That's partly due to our higher elevation and relatively dry air. Regardless, in winter and spring, this often means above freezing highs and below freezing lows. So, at night… the water that’s seeped into the cracks in the road freezes. If you’ve frozen an ice cube before, you may have noticed it’s bigger than the size the liquid water took up in your ice tray. It expanded. That happens in the road cracks too - making them bigger and pushing the road upward.
When temperatures rise above freezing the next day, the ice melts. This creates gaps under the road around the cracks.
Finally… as traffic continues to drive over these empty spaces… the road surface caves in creating a pothole.
Since wet weather and big temperature changes are the main drivers of pothole formation… expect even more potholes than usual this spring.
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