LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Crews with the City of Lexington and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet were out repairing potholes and road damage leaders say was caused by the recent ice storms and winter weather.
“Well, potholes form when water seeps into cracks in the asphalt. Of course with the expanding and contraction, the temperatures, the volume of traffic, those tiny cracks then become potholes,” says Natasha Lacy, with the Department of Highways District 7.
Crews are in place to make sure high-traffic roadways around the Madison - Fayette County lines and Man O' War Boulevard are safe filling holes with coal patches.
Brandon McIntosh with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in Madison County says, "Depending on the weather it can last up to several months -- if we don't have continuous raining and freezing and thawing."
AAA leaders say on average, Americans spend $3 billion a year on vehicle repairs from potholes. That means, on average, people are spending anywhere from $200 to $1,000.
AAA reps also say watch out for puddles that could hide deep potholes, and if you do hit a pothole, “slow your vehicle down, take your foot off the brake and ease through it but make sure that you keep that steering wheel going forward so that you don't enter it with your tires kind of at an angle. Try to hit it straight on but as slow as out safely can,” says Lori Weaver Hawkins.
