The Michigan Department of Transportation is anticipating higher operating costs when it assesses the budget in March. However, Carrie Debnar, a Lansing Communications Representative for MDOT, said some of the inflated cost would come from comparing the current budget to mild winters of the past. Potholes are caused by a freeze-thaw cycle common to Michigan winters. First, moisture seeps into the ground below the pavement, freezes and expands. When the temperature rises and the ice thaws, the pavement is left sitting on a pocket of air.
Vehicles then drive over the surface and the pavement collapses, causing the pothole.
Preventative maintenance, such as pothole repair, needs to given priority over new highways and road expansions. Without this needed service driving can become dangerous and costly for motorists. Maintaining safe pavement structure can reduce the wear and tear roads suffer in the colder months.