Why Seattle has so many potholes this season
Mar 22, 2017, 3:57 PM | Updated: Mar 23, 2017, 3:40 pm
The 2016-17 winter season has taken a toll on Northwest roads and has left behind a slew of potholes. (KIRO 7)
(KIRO 7)
Got potholes? Seattle does. Quite a lot of them actually, and more so than usual. You can thank the weather for that.
“This has been a big year for Northwest potholes, feared by drivers and bicyclists alike,” University of Washington Meteorologist Cliff Mass points out in his recent blog. “And it should not be a surprise, considering the weather has been ‘ideal’ for producing potholes …”
Related: The last 5.5 months have been extremely wetter than normal in the Northwest
More specifically, the Northwest has just experienced the coldest winter since 1985. Also, the snowiest winter since 2009. Add record rainfall into the mix, and it’s a perfect storm for potholes.
Mass breaks it down. It’s basic science. Water expands when it freezes. Water rains down on Seattle roads works its way into cracks and corners, then freezes and expands, breaking apart the pavement. Water also gets underneath the pavement and freezes, pushing up the road, breaking it up. As Mass points out, the last few months have had a lot more days that dipped below freezing than in recent years.
The Seattle Department of Transportation reports that 958 potholes were reported to the city in February. Crews — called pothole rangers — try to fix issues within three days of their reporting. The city was able to catch up and fix 83 percent of them within that time over last month. The goal for 2017-18 is 80 percent. Overall, Seattle repaired 3,703 potholes in February — up from 3,084 potholes in February 2016. KIRO 7 reports that they had to start working a 6-day week to take on the problem last month.
Drivers can try to submit a claim to the city if their car is damaged by a pothole. If the hole has been reported, there is a greater chance the city will cover the damage, KIRO 7 reports. And you can check the status of reported holes in Seattle by using the city’s pothole map.
The City of Seattle estimates it’ll repair 17,500 potholes in 2017. In 2015, crews repaired 17,561 potholes, which is up from 15,582 in 2014. The city spent over $2.2 million fixing potholes in 2016 and proposed over $2.3 million for 2017.
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