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SALT LAKE CITY — It's not easy to do most roadwork in the winter, but some jobs just cannot wait. Potholes are a persistent problem, and show up more often in the winter when freezing temperatures and plows chew up Utah's roads.
But for Utah Department of Transportation crews pothole repairs rarely stop this time of year, and they tend to do the work at night when traffic is light.
"We are out all the time, 10-hour shifts typically, through the night filling those holes up every night," said Derek Donivan, UDOT roadway operations manager.
As most Utahns head to bed, UDOT crews are getting ready to hit the road to repair potholes. Some of the cracks motorists can easily dodge or roll right over, while other craters are formidable enough to break an axle at high speed.
One of Donivan's maintenance crews had to close off a lane of traffic on I-80 near 2400 West to tackle a big job this Wednesday afternoon. Motorists who drive I-80 near 2400 West will be glad UDOT repaired the potholes on both sides of the interstate with permanent patches.
"It grew pretty big," said Donivan, describing a pothole in the eastbound lane that grew from a foot in diameter at the beginning of the winter to 3 feet in diameter in recent days.
"We've been waiting to do this for about a week with all of the complaints that we've been receiving on these potholes," he said.
But Donivan said they could not get the right asphalt until Wednesday because asphalt plants weren't making the proper mix.
"We needed more of a permanent hot mix asphalt," he said.
For smaller jobs, crews often use a cold patch and don't necessarily mill out an area surrounding the pothole.
We are out all the time, 10-hour shifts typically, through the night filling those holes up every night.
–Derek Donivan, UDOT roadway operations manager.
Donivan said the winter months can be brutal on the roads.
"That's when it's the worst," he said. "Especially when we are out plowing a lot. Those plows tend to grab those (pothole patches) and rip out all of the material that we put in and create new ones."
A UDOT graphic on YouTube shows how snow and rain seep into the foundation and weaken the road. Cold temperatures then make the surface brittle and freeze water in the foundation. As the water freezes and thaws it cracks the road even more, and the weight of traffic opens up potholes.
A new UDOT Click 'N Fix app allows motorists report road issues, like potholes, directly to UDOT through their smartphones. UDOT launched the app a week ago, and Donivan said already motorists are using it to let them know where there are problems with traffic lights and potholes that need filling.
"Information is able to get across a little bit faster," he said. "We are able to get out a little bit quicker to fill any of these potholes that we have concerns on."
When motorists see the crews working at night, Donivan asks that they slow down and give them space.
"We're out there, trying to fill the potholes, doing what we need to do to make these roads safer," he said.
