Every year as winter wanes, potholes appearing on Massachusetts roads are as common as crocuses sprouting. But this season, many people believe there are more of them than usual.
More than 90% of people who voted in a recent GBH News Instagram poll say potholes are worse this year, and 82% of poll respondents on Twitter felt the same.
State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said they are not mistaken.
“The last couple of years have been worse than the prior ones,” he said. “And a lot of that has to do with the more mild winters that we’ve been getting, because there are more freeze-and-thaw cycles that create the opportunity for potholes to form.”
When water infiltrates cracks in the road surface and then freezes at night, followed by a warmup the next day, that causes ice to move and flex under the pavement. And when traffic rolls over the weakened asphalt and dislodges it, that’s when potholes appear.
Gulliver said colder winters generally lead to fewer potholes, because the ice does not move around and disturb the asphalt as much.
But cold weather can also make it difficult to fill those potholes. The pavement plants that supply hot asphalt are not open in winter, so crews use a premixed compound that sets quickly as a temporary fix. Crews will return to make a more permanent repair when the asphalt mix plants reopen.
Gulliver said roadways more prone to potholes are near the end of their useful life. He added that although newer pavement can last longer, all pavement has a lifespan. That’s why he says the state has a continuing road replacement program to keep the roads as new as possible.
“Regrettably, I think potholes are here to stay,” he said.
Not only do potholes present a real challenge for drivers, but they can result in real damage. About 4% of GBH News' Twitter poll respondents said they had already lost a tire.
Car owners who suffered injury or property damage in Boston can file a claim through the City Clerk’s Office within 30 days of the incident. Drivers can also file claims for incidents on state-owned roads within 30 days — but claims against the commonwealth for road defects are limited. There can be no recovery for property damage, only personal injury, which is limited to $4,000.
And getting reimbursed for any claim is a long shot, Gulliver said.
“The laws in Massachusetts absolutely favor the municipalities in the state when it comes to potholes,” he said. “But if a driver can show that there is a pothole that was ignored by both his municipality and by the state for an unreasonable period of time, then they may have an opportunity to recoup some costs. But it’s the law, and Massachusetts definitely puts more onus on the driver than it does on the road owner.”
