Eau Claire (WQOW) - The ups and downs of winter are keeping road crews
busy. Freezing rain, snow, a thawing;
all of it has created a pothole problem.
Drive
around Eau Claire long enough, and you'll likely hit a pothole or two.
"The moisture gets in the cracks and underneath the pavement,
causing it to freeze and expand and blowout the pavement," said Steve
Thompson, Eau Claire's Street Maintenance Manager.
It's
not the first time you'll see them, and it probably won't be the last.
"I think it's more that the weather we've gotten over the last few
weeks that's been a combination of snow, freezing rain, and rain.
We've got calls coming in for complaints or reporting
of them, we get them on a list and get them patched as soon as possible,"
said Thompson.
While
the city works on streets, the county has been busy on Highway 93.
"With plowing all night, and then with these potholes during the
day that form, we try our best to get out here and fill them right away. But
sometimes it takes a few days to get to them," said Nick Hatzinger of the
Eau Claire County Highway Department.
No
matter where the road takes you, its important to remember one thing.
"It's just a temporary patch, it's not a permanent one. And we'll
be out probably patching the same hole week after week here until after spring,"
Hatzinger said.
Once
the weather warms up a little bit more, crews from both departments will be
able to switch their filler. They'll begin using a more long-term mix once
spring arrives.
