Brace Yourself, Omaha – Pothole Season is Here!
That jarring THUNK as you drive over yet another pothole.
The flinch as your coffee splashes out of its cup.
It’s a rite of passage every spring in Omaha – pothole season.
These craters in our streets seem to appear overnight, leaving drivers to swerve and swear. And the damage they can inflict on our cars is no joke.
So how do these mini-hazards form? What can you do to dodge and report them? And how much are they actually costing us?
Let’s break it down.
The 6 Most Common Ways Potholes Form
While Omaha’s pothole problems typically peak in spring, the seeds are sown all year long in 6 key ways:
- Freeze-thaw cycles: Melting ice seeps into cracks in the asphalt, then expands when it refreezes – cracking the road.
- Heavy snow: The weight of plowed snow stresses and damages road surfaces. Over time, the scrapes and cracks allow water seepage that leads to potholes.
- Poor drainage: Water pools on roads, seeping in and eroding material under the asphalt. Standing water accelerates the freeze-thaw process too.
- Water erosion: Rain water washes away gravel under the asphalt over time, leaving voids that collapse into potholes later.
- Extreme temp changes: Quick warm ups and cool downs accelerate cracking and winter water seepage.
- Heat waves: Sustained high heat softens asphalt so it’s more prone to damage under traffic loads.
How Potholes Can Damage Your Vehicle
Hitting a pothole can deliver a knockout punch to your car.
It can lead to:
- Flat tires or dangerous blowouts
- Bent or warped wheels
- Knocked out wheel alignment
- Jarred loose or damaged suspension parts
Repairing a wheel alignment alone can cost $100 or more and most of the other potential problems are even more expensive.
Slowing down and dodging potholes can save you hundreds in fixes.
Use This Map to View and Report Potholes (How You Can Help)
Spotted a crater that needs some TLC or want to know where to lookout for them?
The City of Omaha offers a Pothole Reporter map app to locate and submit pothole issues quickly.
You can view known pothole trouble spots, drop a pin on the map to report new ones, and track the status of repair requests.
Providing location details and photos through the app helps road crews zero in on issues faster.
Alternatively, you can also call 402-444-5555 to report these issues.
Detailed reports can shave days or weeks off repair times.
What’s Being Done – Omaha Steps Up Pothole Repair Efforts
With a 30% funding boost in 2023, the city is testing more durable recycled rubber patches and plans major resurfacing projects on Dodge and other hard-hit routes.
They may never defeat potholes completely, but with the city’s efforts and your help reporting issues promptly, we can help smooth out some of these bumps in the road.
New Pothole Repair Technologies Offer Hope
Several cutting-edge solutions show promise to smooth out our ride:
While potholes have long plagued Omaha streets, new innovations in repair methods and materials provide hope for longer-lasting fixes.
- Infrared Pothole Repair uses targeted heat to soften and seamlessly blend asphalt patches into existing pavement. The thermal bond creates a more durable fix that stands up to traffic and weather.
- Custom Concrete Plugs like the Turkish “Pothole Terminator” machine cut out craters surgically and insert form-fitting concrete patches. These expand to create a tight seal and long-lasting repair.
- Smart Sensors embedded in pavement can now detect cracks and moisture intrusion early. This AI-powered tech alerts road crews to make timely repairs before potholes fully form.
- Advanced Materials like flexible polymers and rubber compounds better resist freeze-thaw cycles. Omaha is experimenting with adding recycled tires to asphalt mix for more flexible, durable patches.
With cities like Omaha adopting modern solutions, our future roads may roll out far smoother. Potholes will become less jarring, less common and easier to remedy.
Now if they could just fix those sidewalks…(we’re kidding…kinda).