Don't worry about the things that go bump in the night; worry about the things that go bump as you drive.
As spring weather arrives, the damage done to streets by winter freezing, snow and salt treatment becomes more apparent. Combine that with the fact streets aren't always repaved as often as they should be, and you'll appreciate the problem of those pesky potholes.
So what can you do? You could contact Domino's Pizza, which pledges to fix potholes through their "Paving for Pizza" program, but we suspect that's more of a marketing thing. After all, could their entire net profit could pave the country's potholes?
So the best thing to do is contact the city, county or state, depending on which maintains the road you're calling about. Then, get out of the way the best you can. When you see road crews, slow down and switch to the other lane if possible to give them room to work.
If you can't avoid potholes, hold your steering wheel firmly as you drive over them to maintain control of the vehicle. Watch for water puddles that could have potholes under them, and make sure your tires are properly inflated.
MoDOT said its crews started working as soon as there was a break in the weather. The agency will have about 300 pothole patching crews statewide working to make roadways safer. In 2019, MoDOT patched approximately 730,000 potholes, spending $17 million on pothole patching.
MoDOT maintains 34,000 miles of road including interstates, U.S. and Missouri routes and lettered routes.
MoDOT said short-term repairs are made using a cold asphalt mix with a priority to fill the deepest potholes first. The long-term fix, a hot asphalt mix, isn't effective until temperatures remain warm for a prolonged period.
Driving over potholes can be infuriating, as they can damage your car and even cause you to lose control while driving. But if you stay alert and follow this simple advice, you can keep yourself - as well as road crews fixing the problems - safe.
News Tribune