Photos by Tracie Perkins/WyoRadio
Spring is a season filled with potholes, and Rock Springs has certainly seen its fair share this year.
Travelers in Rock Springs, particularly on Dewar Drive, have noticed an increased number of potholes.
WYDOT Public Relations Specialist Stephanie Harsha says it is difficult to speculate why the potholes have been so bad this year, but she says there are many factors at play.
Harsha said recent rains and snow have not only increased the potholes, but have made it somewhat difficult for crews to patch them.
“I think the biggest battle that our maintenance guys fight when dealing with potholes is moisture, and part of that is it doesn’t take a patch as well. So once that moisture gets in there, it kind of starts to deteriorate a little bit,” says Harsha. “And once it starts to deteriorate a little bit, that thing pops right out.”
In addition, Dewar Drive is heavily traveled, so potholes continue to be struck by vehicles and just keep getting bigger.
WYDOT crews were on Dewar Drive Tuesday morning patching some of the road’s largest potholes in the area near Brower Brothers Nissan and Commerce Bank. Harsha says crews will continue to patch the potholes along Dewar Drive, primarily during lower traffic times such as early mornings and later evenings.
In addition to the moisture, Harsha said other factors have been at play when it comes to prioritizing tasks at WYDOT. Snow removal, for example, has been a priority for WYDOT crews during recent spring storms. In addition, Harsha says crews have been working to patch potholes on Interstate 80, noting that a pothole does much more damage for someone traveling at interstate speeds than for someone traveling the speed limit on Dewar Drive.
“We do as much as we can. We would love to be as proactive as possible, but with the resources, the manpower, and the budget restraints we have, we have to kind of prioritize those projects and do the ones that we feel have the most safety benefit,” said Harsha.
A major repaving project has been slated for Dewar Drive in year 2021, but Harsha says WYDOT leadership hopes to move the project up, especially after seeing the damage to the road this spring. It’s unclear when the project will take place, but Harsha says it could potentially be moved up to next year depending on what is decided when WYDOT’s annual State Transportation Improvement Plan is finalized this summer.
“We do sympathize with the traveling public. We all live and work in Rock Springs as well. So, we see it every day and we understand the concern that they have and the concern for their vehicles,” said Harsha. “[WYDOT crews] do the best they can to get out there as quickly as possible because it’s their community as well, and they do care.”