Dips and divots on the highway are normal, but the stormy El Niño weather is not improving the state’s pothole situation.
The Arizona Department of Transportation has not needed to focus on the severity of a pothole problem in the last 15 years as the state has experienced dryer conditions. But Doug Nintzel with ADOT said that focus could change this year.
“If we experience within an average winter, anywhere from $5 to 8-million worth of work, that includes the snow plowing that goes on. You can usually count on half-a-million dollars' worth going into pothole repair,” Nintzel said.
But this has not been an average winter. According to the National Weather Service, Flagstaff received 36 inches of snow last month, while the Valley received 1.31 inches of rain.
Nintzel said the department doesn’t know how many holes have needed to be repaired.
However, he did say repairing the highways comes down to when the storms are moving through and how much damage can be done over extended periods of time with wet roads.
“And then in Norther Arizona, of course you have the freezing and the thawing, and the heavy traffic, it can all lead to potholes forming and the need for us to get out there as quickly as possible,” he said.
Nintzel said the department is also prepared to deal with area highway repair calls too.
