R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press Shown is North 2nd Street in Escanaba, which features cracks and potholes that tend to form in the spring, plus evidence of past patches. Parts of this road are to be completely torn up and redone this year in order to replace water mains; a side effect of that new paving will likely be fewer potholes next year.

ESCANABA — Though maintaining roads is a never-ending battle, some work to repair potholes has begun and will increase when seasonal weight restrictions, also known as frost laws, are lifted when weather permits.

Both gravel and paved roads suffer pothole formation during the transition period between winter and spring. Road commissions and public works departments do what they can to prevent and repair, but “there’s no be-all end-all to cure potholes,” as Escanaba Public Works Director Kent Dubord put it.

There are a couple ways the cavities are created.

Moisture like rain and groundwater inevitably finds its way into cracks in pavement when the weather is warm. During winter, it freezes — and water expands about 9% when it freezes. The pressure creates fractures which are prone to give way when traffic crosses the surface, especially when the ice thaws again.

The other problem for hard-surface roads happens farther below.

“When frost starts coming out of the ground, the road base gets soft, and the top layer will fracture causing pot holes,” explained Delta County Road Commission Manager Jody Norman.

At the county level, some damage has been mitigated.

“We have invested a lot of money into upgrading the hard surface network, so it’s nowhere as bad as it used to be,” Norman said. “20 years ago, we (would) go through 500 tons or more of patch in a year’s time. In the most recent years, we will go through about 75 tons of patch per year.”

The county has in the last eight years invested in two spray patch machines that can fill and level a road surface in a manner that lasts longer that simply patching, he explained.

“Most recently, we have started using a different technique called a mastic machine,” Norman added. “This is a fairly new process to us, but it certainly does seem to hold up to the harsh winters much better at this point.”

In Escanaba, time and material spent patching has been reduced by about 50% in the past year because of full-width paving projects and repairs, said Dubord.

“The areas that have been the most troublesome over the years we have tried to address … to eliminate having to go back to the same locations,” he said. “Over time as streets get repaved, and other work such as AMZ and crack-filling, it will help limit the number of potholes that pop up.”

The major road work that’s ongoing this year in the City of Escanaba should continue to correct problems. When potholes do become an issue, city residents may call Public Works at 906-786-1841. The department can grade gravel alleys and patch pavement on alleys and streets.

“We have two different types of cold patch,” Dubord said. “One cold patch that we used weekly is loaded with a backhoe onto the back of a pickup truck. Two years ago, changes were made to utilize larger pickup trucks to increase the carrying capacity of cold patch. The other cold patch we utilize we heat up when it is used and compact it. We typically use this patch for areas that won’t get paved in the near future.”

Gravel roads suffer from potholes, too. Especially on uncrowned roads, drainage leads to rutting, and divots that collect water get progressively worse by traffic, as vehicles “will pound the holes deeper as they pass through, splashing the water and dirt out of the hole,” Norman explained.

“It’s been a tough year on roads, especially the gravel roads,” he said. “…It’s not an easy fix, we can’t just patch these holes (on gravel). They have to be graded out, and the road surface has to be dry enough to be able to do this.”

Norman said that the Garden and Fairport area tends to dry first; the northwestern portion of the county, with heavy, clay-like soil, takes the longest to dry out. While the northeastern part is sandy, it gets the most snow and also takes a long time to dry, he said.

Some grading has begun in warmer, drier areas. When the weight restrictions are lifted, people can expect road work to pick up in full force.

When asked what could be done to prevent potholes, Norman said that investing millions in road base improvements would help, but that even with a perfect base, “every surface option out there has a life span.”

He said that seal coat roads tend to last five years before needing re-sealing to extend the life another five to seven years, blacktop has a maximum life expectancy of 15 to 20 years, and that concrete lasts longest at 30 years or more but is not a realistic option for roads because of the cost.

There is a method to help mitigate surface damage caused by oversaturated bases, though.

“Putting drain tile in the road base helps the base dry out quicker, giving it an easy way to escape out the sides, rather than filtering up to the top of the road,” Norman said. “A few years ago we purchased a machine that has helped us put drain tile into the base much faster, making it a good viable option.”