Freeway potholes keep crews busy

For at least the second day in a row, Columbus police reported that multiple vehicles sustained flat tires, bent rims or other damage Friday from potholes on interstate highways around the city.

On Friday evening, police radio traffic indicated that potholes had snagged about 10 vehicles on eastbound Interstate 70 near Interstate 670.

A dispatcher confirmed multiple vehicles were lined up along the side of the interstate and that a Columbus police officer had requested dispatch contact the Ohio Department of Transportation to send a crew.

On Thursday evening, Columbus police dispatch reported a half dozen vehicles were out of service on another stretch of interstate.

An ODOT crew began responding to the pothole reports on I-70 east around 6:30 p.m Friday, said Nancy Burton, spokeswoman for the agency's District 6 office in central Ohio. Then it was off to another crater hot spot at southbound Interstate 71 and Route 665 near Grove City.

"Calling a crew in after-hours, on nights and weekends, has been standard operating procedure for at least the last few weeks," Burton said. "This is the season."

Drastic temperature swings this winter in central Ohio have caused roadways to stretch and shrink, she said. Along with heavy precipitation, the conditions are perfect for potholes, she said.

Even with severe precipitation forecast for the region in the coming days, Burton said local ODOT crews would continue to patch potholes throughout the weekend.

"It doesn’t usually hold very well. It's like putting a Band-Aid on a cut that’s bleeding." she said.