Warm weather during the day and close to freezing temperatures at night are creating potholes on roads across the state, including the roads in Norwich.
Norwich Public Works said the key is to be proactive by scanning the city and filling the holes before they put a hole in someone’s tire.
Potholes appear to be popping up a bit earlier this year, Public Works Director Ryan Thompson said.
"You always see the potholes develop around areas where there’s failed pavement," Thompson said.
The freezing and thawing cycle, in addition to plows and traffic, form potholes.
A new $5 million infrastructure bond will be put toward repaving the worst of the city’s 163 miles of roads in the spring, according to Thompson.
The challenge with fixing potholes this time of year is that asphalt plants aren’t open until about April. Norwich does have hot mix asphalt for smaller projects, but Thompson said they prefer the weather stay about 40 for a while.
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"We don’t know what the winter’s still yet to do and we don’t want to put something in that might pop right back out," Thompson said.
Norwich's purchasing agent Bill Hathaway said in years past the city has had a small number of claims from residents who had their car damaged by potholes on city roads. He said if the city does not have advanced notification of the pothole, it’s not liable.
Drivers have definitely seen them and try to avoid them.
"My car is getting old so I hope I don’t hit no potholes," Patricia Hansen, of Norwich, said. "I don’t think I could afford to pay for the damage."
Crews at Town Fair Tire in Norwich know all about that.
"It can do anything from blowing out the tire completely to bending the wheel to the point where you’ll need a new wheel on the car, to completely throwing off the alignment," Town Fair Tire Manager Jason Homand said.
In January roughly more than half of the company's 200 flat tire repairs have been pothole-related, according to Homand.
