Laura Tran was driving home from dropping her son off at a friend’s house when she heard it.
Her tire dipped into a pothole in the pavement on south Center Line Road in rural Franklin, shaking her car.
"I hit it hard and I knew I hit it hard," she said.
Tran returned to her home in Franklin and took a thorough look at her tire. It looked OK. At first.
A few days later, the tire well on the same tire began bulging out. She took it to a mechanic who said the tire was damaged by a pothole. She shelled out $300 to replace both tires on the axle.
Winter is officially over and motorists all across the county are navigating winter-wrecked roads. Months of winter weather have caused pockets of potholes as asphalt crumbles when frigid temperatures cause it to expand.
The Daily Journal asked for reader questions and issues regarding potholes. Luke Mastin, director of the Johnson County Highway Department, answered some of your questions:
What causes a pothole?
Potholes form when water infiltrates the pavement section, typically through cracks in the surface of the pavement. When this happens in the winter, the water freezes and thaws almost daily as the pavement temperatures rise and fall. When the water freezes, it expands and puts stress on the pavement section, causing the existing cracks to widen and new cracks to form. Eventually the combination of distressed pavement and traffic loads break up the asphalt and result in potholes.
How do I report a pothole that needs to be fixed?
Residents who notice a pothole that needs to be fixed can call the highway department main line at 317-346-4630. Highway department workers are assigned the pothole that is reported and it will likely be addressed within 24 hours. The highway department counts on residents to report potholes to save time for highway department employees, Mastin said.
“We strongly encourage anyone who sees a pothole that they think needs to be addressed to let us know. It allows us to zero in on the area a lot quicker than searching for them," he said.
Who is responsible for fixing potholes?
If the pothole is on a business’ property, the business owner would be responsible for fixing the pothole. Each city and town in the area is responsible for potholes on its own streets. The Johnson County Highway Department is in charge of potholes that fall onto county roads. The county highway department is in charge of about 600 miles of road in the county.
How is a pothole fixed? How long does it take?
The Johnson County Highway Department runs between six and eight two- to four-man crews on most days with good weather in March and April to fill potholes across the streets the county highway department controls, Mastin said.
Highway department workers fill the hole with asphalt packing material and tamp the material down. Workers have a few materials they can choose to use, depending on their availability. Each pothole takes the crews between five to 10 minutes to fix, he said.
My car was damaged by a pothole. What do I do?
Motorists who have had a car damaged by a pothole on county roads can call the department’s main line to request a claims form. The phone number is 317-346-4630. Each review is then reviewed by the county’s insurance company, which will decide if the county is liable for the damage, Mastin said.
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Have you found yourself wondering who is responsible for the potholes that are jarring your drive?
The street or drive that is riddled with craters could be the responsibility of a city, town or county government. Or it could be the job of a private property firm to repair if the drive leads to a strip mall or big box store.
What is the biggest, baddest pothole you have seen in the county? Have you popped a tire on a road crater or seen a sink hole that you and other motorists have to swerve to miss? The Daily Journal wants to get your questions answered, but we need your help.
Send photos, information and locations of the worst potholes to [email protected].
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