Maryland drivers aggravated by increase of winter potholes

Mother Nature has not been kind to our roads this winter. The extreme cold and now the warmer air are causing potholes to pop up on local roads and highways.

These potholes will stick around until crews can repair them when the weather stabilizes.

"I got to pull over and check everything. It'll be feeling like my whole transmission just dropped off," said Dontril Ward, from Edgecombe, Maryland. "That's how I ended up with a couple a couple scrapes here, swapped out like three four tires from hitting potholes in the last couple of weeks."

Why are potholes the worst in the winter?

Potholes are back, trying to swallow up tires across Baltimore City.

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) says the winter is when the potholes get much worse because water seeps under the road, which expands and contracts causing cracks. 

As more cars drive over these cracks, they become the dreaded pothole.

Influx in tire repairs

At K&S Associates in Baltimore, mechanics are trying to fix bent wheels, blown out tires and repairing body damage after the winter storm.

"Things have been steady but busier," said Jacob Cornblath, the office manager at K&S Associates. "You really want to just make sure, am I hearing anything new? Am I feeling anything new? If everything feels the same, you know, whatever deity you believe in, thank them and yeah, just keep on going."

Hope for repaired potholes

There are notable potholes in many city neighborhoods, and many are hoping they get repaired soon.

"There's one on West University where I went over it, and I thought for sure I had blown out a tire," Baltimore resident Dave Heumann said.  

The best advice is to slow down because speeding over a road crater will only make it worse.

"Maybe you're getting lucky this once, but then with the way that, how fast they're going, you kind of think they're used to doing this. And how do you not fear that? How do you not feel that?" Cornblath said.

"I probably have hit one or two because I wasn't following my own advice," said Hannah Rowley. "But, you know, I'm trying to remember that."

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said earlier this week he is aware of the potholes across the city. He says the best way to report them is to call them in to 311 so city crews can fill them.