News
Pothole Alert!
It’s that time of year again….pothole season -- and Metro Nashville Public Works needs your help!
March 1, 2006
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Drivers should be on the lookout for
potholes on city streets, and report any they encounter to Metro’s
Pothole Hotline at 862-8750 or by logging onto Public
Works' web site.
Potholes are considered priority requests and are repaired or patched according to severity as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours.
Though it is difficult to predict where potholes will develop, Public Works advises that motorists can expect to encounter potholes and damaged pavement at any time. The problem tends to increase in the winter and early spring due to extreme cold temperatures and excessive precipitation.
Potholes are created when the pavement or the material beneath it – called the base or subbase – cannot support the weight of the traffic it carries. Over time, traffic fatigue causes cracks to develop. Water worsens the cracked pavement problem by seeping into the base and subbase. Over time, the base material shifts or oozes outward leaving a void and nothing to support the pavement above it.
In cold weather, this process is dramatically accelerated due to freeze/thaw action, and expansion and contraction due to extremes in daily temperatures. Water is the only substance that expands as it freezes and passes from a liquid to a solid state. When water in pavement cracks and the base freezes, it expands the cracks or pushes the pavement up, thus causing voids. As the temperature rises, the frozen water thaws and leaves a void area beneath the pavement. The pavement alone is unable to support the weight and volume of the traffic and before long, “break-in” or failure occurs. Under repeated freeze/thaw conditions, a piece of the pavement may actually pop out.
You should drive with caution and at slower speeds to reduce the risk of serious damage to your vehicle if you do encounter a pothole or severe crack in roadway pavement.
If you see a pothole or areas on roads that show sign of cracking, crumbling, or developing craters, be sure to call the Pothole Hotline at 862-8750 or log onto Public Works' web site. Please call the Tennessee Department of Transportation to report potholes on interstate highways and state routes