Arizona Department of Transportation sees rise in potholes following busy winter

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - It’s something almost every driver hates: potholes, and this spring, drivers are seeing many of them. “It is bad, really bad. I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Gina Sezener. She noticed how bad some road conditions were after taking a road trip to the high country. “They were not only horrible, but very dangerous. We saw hubcaps flying, people stranded on the side of the roads in snow with low visibility.”

ADOT and other government agencies have their hands full trying to fix what was a busy winter. “We’ve had a lot of storms back-to-back and it’s going to take some time to go out and fix those patches,” said Steve Elliot, an ADOT spokesperson.

According to Elliot, one of their main focuses this spring is fixing the large potholes across the state. ADOT maintains more than 6,800 miles of state highways, with the more damaged roads in the mountains. “That pavement will freeze overnight, thaw during the day, and that happens a couple hundred times during the year, and that can really stress the pavements.”

ADOT urges drivers to be patient and drive slowly if you come across a roadway with them.

Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.