DENVER — You can call them "Colorado craters," "Denver divots" or just potholes. But whatever you call them, there's no denying that they are back!
“They’re hitting very aggressive dips in the road — potholes that are just doing damage,” said Trent Pickering of Pickering’s Auto Service in Lakewood.
Pothole season has officially returned to Colorado.
“We’re right at the beginning of that uptick,” said Heather Burke of Denver Public Works.
Denver7 found crews in Denver and Lakewood repairing and filling in big holes in the road on Monday. Burke says her department is in full swing.
"So far this year we have filled over 9,000 potholes. We fill 60 to 100,000 a year, so we still have a long way to go,” she said.
The reason why your drive has gotten bumpier thanks to these holes is not the most recent blizzard. It’s actually from the ping-ponging temperatures above and below freezing.
“Moisture seeps into the cracks of the road, it freezes, it thaws, and the roadway expands and the pothole is left behind,” explained Burke.
Just last week, the high in Denver was 63 degrees. The next day it was 16 degrees. Repeat that a few times and even the best roads start to have issues.
Denver, Lakewood, Aurora, Arapahoe and Douglas counties all told Denver7 they are prepared for, and already dealing with, potholes. The Colorado Department of Transportation spent Monday repairing asphalt on a bridge in Silverthorn, closing westbound Interstate 70 for multiple hours. A CDOT spokesperson said the next stop would be Wadsworth Boulevard on Tuesday.
In Denver, residents can report a pothole in need of fixing by calling 311 or online. Denver Public Works says most reports are fixed within two business days since crews are out repairing potholes Monday through Friday.
