A wintry mix on the way for Friday means road crews got to work on potholes during the nice weather on Thursday.
“Whenever I drive right here, I am always going in that pothole. It's not a good feeling, not for me, not for my car,” Dominique Ferrerah said as she drove on Maple Avenue in Hartford.
Cities like Hartford and towns Bloomfied, have crews on the road making repairs.
“Constant freezing and thawing, the warm weather, then the cold weather and a lot of rain and ice, are all the ingredients necessary to make a really good pothole," John Lawler, director of public works in Bloomfield, said.
Bloomfield also has a good tool to combat the pesky potholes. They have a new machine called a hotbox, which was funded by a grant from the state. The hotbox is shared with the Simsbury and uses recycled road material to fill the potholes, even in cold temperatures.
“It's really just a crockpot on wheels. It's a trailer device that has a fuel source heat that allows the mixture that we put in there to stay warm,” Lawlor said.
In Hartford the road crews use a temporary cold mix, until the warmer months.
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“We have some major, major holes in the South End,” said Vernon Matthews, the Assistant Superintendent for Hartford Public Works.
In fact, within the last three years, Hartford officials said the city has repaired 800 to 1,500 potholes.
While drivers can't fill the potholes themselves, officials said people can do their part to save their cars and wallets.
“Pothole season can really be like Christmas season for repair shops, because some of the more serious damage can cost thousands of dollars,” AAA spokesperson Amy Parmenter said.
AAA says Americans spend around $3 Billion a year on pothole damage.
