Frosty weather has taken a toll on Portland roads, leaving behind a scourge of potholes that city crews are now scrambling to patch up. The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has acknowledged the surge in potholes following a week of freezing temperatures that facilitated the expansion and contraction of water beneath the city’s asphalt, an occurrence confirmed by spokesperson Hannah Schafer. "All that water that goes under the asphalt -- it expands as it freezes, and it creates weakness in the pavement or makes worse any existing weaknesses," Schafer told KATU.
As a result of the deteriorating conditions, the Oregon Department of Transportation found itself yesterday patching a significant pothole on Interstate 205 over the Abernethy Bridge, after several vehicles were battered by its gaping presence. PBOT is stepping up its game in response, tripling its crews from two to five with aspirations to address potholes within 30 days of reporting. Yet the roads pose significant risks, Schafer imported, emphasizing, "It can do damage to people’s vehicles. It is just a general road hazard for anyone if you’re on a bike, it also is not a thing that you want to bike through." The department has encouraged the public to report these road hazards and include photographic evidence when possible.
Over in Bend, the January storms left behind a less daunting but still problematic number of potholes, with crews thus far responding to 71 repair calls this year, at least compared to over 300 in January the previous year. David Abbas, director of the city's Transportation & Mobility Department, explained to KTVZ, "Potholes form when when the moisture can get into the road structure roadways, and then that freeze-thaw cycle, and it expands. When it freezes, that's what pops out asphalt." In an effort to swiftly mitigate the issues, Bend has one asphalt crew on hand, pledging to patch potholes reported through the Bend Works website within 48 hours.
Meanwhile, severe winter conditions have placed a spotlight on the hazards faced by road crews, with recent incidents underscoring the perils. Almost half a dozen customers pulled into a Les Schwab in West Linn after their wheels got ravaged by a pothole on I-205, as reported by KPTV. In a grim reminder of the dangers, six Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) crew members were hospitalized following a devastating encounter with a car while mending a pothole on I-5 in Vancouver. Maintenance Manager Brad Clark, struck by the event, implored the public, "Slow down, be aware of our crews, don’t drive intoxicated." In total, 40 cars suffered at the hands of one destructive pothole on I-205.
The collision on that fateful Vancouver night resulted in a DUI charge for the driver who crashed with such force into a WSDOT truck that the hood was left mangled.
