Warmer temperatures, cold nights in Southeast Michigan could lead to new crop of potholes

Potholes across Michigan feel big enough to swallow up a tire, and even though they need to be patched, that work can be tricky and cost a pretty penny. 

"We're in good shape right now. This week will be a telling story," said David Leach, the managing director of the Monroe County Road Commission.

Leach said this winter, we saw a deep freeze that stayed below freezing for weeks. While that's good news for the roads, temperatures started to go from above to below freezing, meaning we could see a new crop of potholes. 

"If they're going to pop, it'll be this week," he said. 

Leach said that when water gets into the roads and then freezes, the water expands, creating a little bubble beneath the pavement. 

When cars, especially heavy vehicles, drive over that little bubble, the pavement becomes a little crater. Leach said crews are out and about cold patching those potholes because that's what is available this time of year. 

"We have five hot boxes that we will put that material in and heat it up, and it makes it a little more viable and stay in the holes a little bit better," he said. 

He said it's not easy to just repave whole swaths of roadway. 

"It's not as easy as repave every road; it's very expensive, you can get upwards of pushing a million dollars per mile," Leach said. "Now I have 1300 miles of road under our jurisdiction in Monroe County, obviously, at a million dollars per mile, that's not going to happen." 

Leach said his crews patch potholes as they appear and seal cracks with a rubber material to prevent water from getting under the pavement.