2008 Woodie Awards
Potholes frustrate students
By: Erich T. Doerr
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: News
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The Elwell senior damaged the anti-lock brakes on her car after driving through a maze of potholes formed by the topsy-turvy weather conditions this winter.
"I'm just frustrated," Engel said.
She's not the only one.
More than 450 CMU students thus far have joined a Facebook group pushing for the potholes on Deerfield Road to be repaired.
Mason junior Lindsay Elias started the group after she nearly hit a driver swerving to avoid a pothole on the road.
"It's horrible," Elias said of Deerfield Road. "It's worse than a dirt road."
Washington Street and Deerfield Road are among the roads that will be repaired soon. Washington is scheduled for a complete paving after classes get out, according to the Isabella County Road Commission.
But the process of fixing the potholes themselves is slow because of the high number of them this year.
The process begins when someone calls the road crews of the area, either the Isabella County Road Commission or the Mount Pleasant Department of Public Works - Street Department, depending on the location, and files a complaint.
The repair is put on a list after the complaint, but usually can take days to weeks depending on the number of complaints. The Isabella County Road Commission gets 10 to 15 per day, said Directing Manager Tony Casali.
"It's been one of the worst pothole seasons," Casali said.
Severe temperature swings between warm and cold weather can cause potholes to form. The ice and snow melts when the weather gets warm and seeps into the cracks in the pavement. The liquid freezes again when the weather gets cold again, heaving the pavement.
"You get the freeze and the thaw and it creates havoc," said Robert Murphy, Mount Pleasant's street superintendent.
The potholes are patched with a compound called cold patch. Cold patch is an asphalt material that is more flexible to use than regular asphalt, allowing it to be applied without the use of heavy machinery.
To apply the cold patch to potholes, road crews must go out and spot fill them by hand.
Drivers can do their part to help get the roads repaired by giving repair crews enough room to safely do their jobs. Slowing down and keeping a safe distance from the road crews while on the road will allow the road crews to get their jobs done quicker.
news@cm-life.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 6
912
posted 2/22/08 @ 12:43 PM EST
I'm surprised the story makes no mention of the enormous potholes next to the construction site for the new education building. They're massive.
Also, I have to chuckle when I see these Facebook "political groups," this one aimed at the Deerfield Road potholes. (Continued…)
Lindsay Elias
posted 2/22/08 @ 4:18 PM EST
ok so i am kind of mad about the comment that i had supposedly said. Erich got his facts slightly wrong. I was the one who was almost hit by the car swerving to miss pot holes, not the other way around. (Continued…)
Nick Smith
posted 2/22/08 @ 8:20 PM EST
Well, if you want something done about it, use traditional means if you care enough to. Contact the street department or County Road Commission or whatever proper local agency, or go to County Commission meetings and start complaining. (Continued…)
melmo1221
Melissa
posted 2/25/08 @ 10:19 AM EST
YOU LIVE IN MICHIGAN!! You choose to live in Michigan this is something that happens every year. Get used to it. Find something else to get "political" about. (Continued…)
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