#Potholes #PotholeRepairs #MichaelHallisey #SpotlightNews #Editorial
Complaining about the potholes that riddle our roadways each spring is nothing short of an annual rite this time of year.
We in the Northeast are accustomed to our Four Seasons. There are the air conditioning months of May to October, the leaf collecting month of November, the thermostat fight season that opens in November and continues on in to March, and then we have pothole season.
Our winter weather can be a fickle thing, as we’re never certain as to how severe the cold will be once we stop caring about having a White Christmas, and we seldom know when the warm winds of spring will arrive despite whatever that rodent in Pennsylvania may say. But, as certain as the tax man asks for our wages each April, we know our daily commutes will be challenged by astronomical craters in our asphalt throughout the winter and spring.
It’s a fun science experiment we all share, and perhaps a bit sadistic to imply this to be enjoyable. The cracks in our blacktop fill with water before the early winter rains turn to snow. That water freezes, expands and spreads those small cracks into larger ones. The process continues throughout the winter. Before we know it, we all have an expedited diorama of the Grand Canyon at every turn. Driving over each tire-popping crevasse would coax an unsavory word out of the purest of heart.
Some of us curse our local seats of government for being lazy. Isn’t that always the case, whether it be the removal of lawn refuse, the plowing of snow from our streets, or the much needed repair of our roads.?It never happens soon enough, as in yesterday, or before paying for brand new tires.
This winter has been somewhat unusual this year. Here we are in the month of April, and as we type this editorial, it continues to snow a bit in the form of a morning flurry. As the mercury continues to dance around the freezing point with each passing day, we’re at the mercy of Mother Nature and the ever-expanding potholes that lie ahead of our commutes. Nonetheless, we know warmer days are fast approaching, and our local highways crews will be on top of the very same rim busters we curse over today.
Be patient and be safe while you drive out there today.