HELENA – If you have been driving around town, there may have been a pothole or two spotted. Maybe even a few handfuls, for that matter.
City of Helena Public Works tells MTN there have been a few frustrated drivers around the city who have recently called in about numerous potholes in public parking lots and neighborhoods.
Due to warming weather, the asphalt cracks, loosening and separating the ground, after all the heavy snowfall. And as temperatures rise, the ground expands, making the dirt easy to shift from repeated traffic. Wear and tear is a year-round issue for the City’s Public Works to keep up.
Drivers should be conscientious and remember to slow down while driving, especially after it rains, as those deep holes can severely damage vehicles.
Street and Traffic Superintendent, David Knoepke, says they now have cold mix to permanently fill those holes.
Knoepke said, “Since the weather got nicer, we’ve been using cold mix to fill in the potholes which typically isn’t a permanent fix; they get washed out and blow out, and blow out again, but today the hot plants opened up for the city of Helena, so we are able to get hot mix and put those into the potholes which will be more of a permanent fix so we shouldn’t have reoccurring pot holes in the same area.”
Patrons should also know that potholes in parking lots outside of restaurants and schools will not be filled because they’re not public, city, holes. Those holes will have to be privately taken care of.
To report a pothole, please visit here.
