News Philly-area readers will be happy to hear!
King of Prussia – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will take advantage of dry, seasonable temperatures this weekend (Feb. 22-23) to patch potholes on state highways in the five-county Philadelphia region.
“The weather this weekend provides us with an opportunity to reduce the number of potholes on state highways in the region and to make permanent repairs with hot asphalt since temperatures will rise above 40 degrees,” PennDOT District Executive Lester C. Toaso said.
“We have been filling potholes since their premature outbreak in early January whenever crews have not been responding to the steady string of snow and ice storms in the region,” Toaso added. “During this time, we primarily filled holes with cold patch, a material used in the winter when hot asphalt is not available. Unfortunately, the harsh winter season undid many of these patches, but we will work aggressively to make permanent repairs.”
Yesterday (Feb. 20), nearly 40 PennDOT crews patched state roads in the Philadelphia region with hot asphalt.
The severe and early outbreak of potholes resulted from snow and ice seeping into pavements and temperature swings above and below the freezing mark.
A pothole develops when water penetrates into a roadway through pavement cracks and then freezes and expands, knocking loose small pieces of pavement. As cars and trucks ride over the area, cracks enlarge, more water enters and the cycle repeats itself to the point where the pavement fails.
Citizens can report potholes on state highways by calling 1-800-FIX-ROAD (I-800-349-7623).
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 680 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available by calling 5-1-1, and regional Twitter alerts are available on the 511PA website.
