You may have noticed an increase in potholes around town, this can be blamed in large part to the wet weather we have had this year.
"When you get a winter like this, water gets in, its saturated all the time, it freezes and it breaks everything apart and that's where you get potholes," said Scott Gibson, Project Manager for RTC.
And unfortunately these obstructions are showing up exactly where you don't want them, because they usually occur in the travel lane, especially right where the tires are when you break. But there is good news: even when weather isn’t ideal and it’s raining, crews are still hard at work filling those potholes.
“During this time of year we have to put a temporary fix on it, we use cold mix and try to make it safe for the traveling public, but it doesn't hold up," said Eric Crimp, Operations Director with Washoe County Community Services.
That cold mix usually holds up until spring, when a permanent fix, or hot mix, can be applied to the roadways. But with all the precipitation we are having, crews are out every day.
“We have repaired hundreds since the beginning of this year, and actually beginning as early as December, we have been running crews every day," said Travis Truhill, Streets Maintenance Manager for the City of Reno.
Officials have a tip if you find you will have to drive over a deeper pothole: drive slow but steady and don't slam on your brakes.
“It just creates a lot more stress on your suspension system when you hit a drop like that," said Gibson.
If you happen to see a pothole on the roadway, you can alert officials in their areas.
City of Reno: Reno Direct at 775-334-4636 or renodirect@reno.gov (*Please note that McCarran is handled by NDOT)
City of Sparks: 775-353-5555 or www.cityofsparks.us/citizenrequest
RTC: 775-335-1874 or sgibson@rtcwashoe.com
Washoe County: 3-1-1, 775-328-2003 or washoe311@washoecounty.us
NDOT (Interstates and highways): 775-888-7000 or info@dot.nv.gov
