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Pothole season is back and it's destroying tires

Vic Ryckaert

Freezing cold one day, unseasonably warm the next. This frenetically shifting weather can only mean one thing for Indiana drivers.


These tire-destroying depressions have returned with a vengeance. A particularly deep and nasty pothole damaged at least six cars on I-65 near 71st Street on the northwest side Thursday morning.

Traffic was delayed for much of the Thursday morning rush before crews finished the emergency repairs.

Also on Thursday, Indiana State Police warned of "tire bursting potholes" along I-69 between Anderson and Daleville.

Popped tire? You can try to get the city to pay, but they probably won't.

The Indiana Department of Transportation INDOT recommended a 45 mph speed limit on the 14-mile stretch of I-69 until crews could complete repairs.

If the rain stays away, INDOT spokesperson Mallory Duncan said the repairs should be finished by the weekend.

INDOT has called in repair crews from other districts to help fill Indianapolis-area potholes, Duncan said. Since Monday, they've fixed more than 100 pothole-related work orders, Duncan said.

"Drivers need to slow down," Duncan said. "Slow down, especially when you see the flashing lights for our crews.

"Slow down so they can safely and efficiently fill these potholes so everyone can be safe."

Also on Monday, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works began filling potholes and strip-patching its pockmarked city streets.

Strip patching is a longer-lasting repair in which crews grind away then resurface wide sections of cratered pavement. 

Potholes are formed when water seeps into tiny cracks in the pavement. When temperatures get cold, that water freezes, expands and pushes the pavement up and out.

When temperatures rise, the ice melts away and leaves a pavement bubble. When cars drive over them, the bubbles pop and crumble into a cavity beneath our wheels.
