Pothole Season Hits Central Minnesota Roads Earlier Than Expected

Pothole season seems to have started early in Central Minnesota this year.

The downright balmy weather a few weeks ago opened-up a rash of potholes in a number of busy roadways in the area (looking at you, Highways 23 and 15).

What WERE fairly smooth roads became riddled with holes, almost overnight it seems.

You may have noticed City of St. Cloud and Minnesota Department of Transportation road crews working on those potholes before our most recent coldspell.

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What's with all the potholes in Central Minnesota this year?

City of St. Cloud Public Services Director Luke Langner says potholes are created by warm days, cold nights and the expansion and contraction of water on the road thawing and freezing and thawing and freezing.

Add snowplows scraping the snow and ice -- and that makes for potholes opening up on the roads.

Langner says city and MNDoT crews are applying "band-aids" at this point -- a cold patching mixture that's really sticky and meant as a temporary fix until the weather warms and crews can fill the holes with a more permanent solution.

"The city is addressing the larger potholes with cold mix, and I know that MnDOT is out addressing those on Highway 23 and the state roads here in the city," Langner said.

Oh, and Langner says that cold mix only works pretty well if it's applied in 20-degree-plus temperatures.

"We can use it if it's colder and it's a really big pothole," he says, but it's only a temporary fix that will likely have to be repatched again this winter season before getting a permanent fix in the spring.

So what do you do if you see a new pothole on your route?

Langner says call Public Works and report the location at 320-650-2900. But keep in mind, it's not going to get fixed instantly. He says with 350 miles of roads in St. Cloud, it takes time to get it all patched.

His advice in areas with potholes? "Take it easy and be careful."

Oh, and when it warms to above 20-degrees, expect to see patching crews from the city and MnDOT throughout the area working to make your drive a little smoother and safer.