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March 2, 2023Lincoln, Neb. | By: AP
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - As we inch closer to spring, Missouri drivers will have to keep an eye out for potholes and Department of Transportation crews.
Crews are already focusing on pothole repairs to keep roads as safe as possible and will continue as weather allows. MoDOT says when you see a crew making repairs, you should slow down and move over a lane to give them room to work safely.
Potholes form when temperatures warm up during the day but continue to be cold at night. The rain and snow leave moisture that seeps into cracks and joints in the pavement.
Frozen water in cracks and under the surface of the roadway causes pavement to bulge and bend. Then when ice melts, the pavement contracts and leaves gaps or voids in the surface under the pavement.
When vehicles drive over the bulging pavement, it weakens the roadway, eventually causing chunks of pavement or asphalt to pop out, creating potholes.