Massachusetts Spends $500K To Patch Potholes

BOSTON (CBS) -- As the snowbanks disappear, drivers are facing a different challenge – potholes.

Warmer temperatures may signal spring to most people, but for department of public works crews, it has a different meaning.

"Everyone else calls it spring. We call it pothole season," Tom Tinlin, the state's interim highway administrator, told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.

Since February 11, Boston crews have filled more than 2,100 potholes using 300 tons of hot top.

Those numbers get worse when you look statewide.

Tinlin said Massachusetts has spent about $500,000 this year patching pot holes, some as big as cars.

"We have crews out every day and every evening," he said.

The main problem is the weather, which just won't cooperate. Fluctuating temperatures can create the worst pothole conditions.

"You may have a 50-degree day, followed by a 25-degree evening," Tinlin said.

Drivers are encouraged to report potholes via MassDOT's Pothole Hotline at 857-368-4636.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey reports: 

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