JACKSON, Wyo. — It’s that time of year again: freezing in the morning, warm and sunny by the afternoon.
Repeated cycles of freezing and thawing leads to mayhem for road surfaces. Potholes form when water (from rain or melting snow) seeps through cracks in a road’s surface in warmer periods, according to the American Public Works Association (APWA). When temperatures drop, the water freezes, expanding the road base and soil it has permeated, thus pushing up on the pavement above.
The ground underneath the pavement will return to its normal levels when temperatures rise and the ice melts, but the pavement will retain its pushed-up position, creating a gap between the two layers. The weight of vehicles driving over this air gap is often enough to break through the raised pavement, landing a car’s tires in the divot and creating a pothole.
As Jackson makes its way toward spring weather, these freeze/thaw cycles can occur over the course of one day, when daylight warms up the road before temperatures drop overnight.
Potholes can be repaired using a number of methods, most of which are variations revolving around filling the divot and sealing the pavement with various combinations of asphalt, sand and chemicals.
One quick note about the etymology of potholes: According to APWA, pottery artisans in Elizabethan England would capitalize on the tracks left on dirt roads by wagon and carriage wheels, digging into the ruts until reaching clay deposits in the earth. Coach drivers were aware of this practice and named the holes in the road after the enterprising potters.
To report a pothole to the Jackson office of the Wyoming Department of Transportation, call (307) 733-3665.
This story runs annually.
