Potholes — some as big as ‘craters’ — are Tennessee’s next winter weather hazard

Drivers in Nashville may be sighing with relief as temperatures thaw and residential streets are no longer ice rinks. But there are other — ahem — bumps in the road. As the ice melts, Nashville is beginning to see some new Olympic-size potholes in its roads and highways.

On Tuesday morning, WPLN listeners may have heard our traffic announcer, Bob August, warning of “a moon-sized crater” causing problems for drivers on I-65 South near exit 117 in Portland. The lane with the pothole was closed Tuesday evening for emergency repairs.

But what’s causing these giant new potholes?

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has the answer, in the form of a video on its website with some relentlessly cheerful music:

According to TDOT, a sudden thaw in temperature is the perfect recipe for new potholes. When snow falls, water can seep into cracks in the asphalt, then refreeze into ice. When things warm up, the ice melts, then evaporates, leaving a gap between the asphalt and the roadbed. Cars push the asphalt down into the gap, and — clunk! — a new pothole is born.

TDOT also says it’s harder to repair potholes this time of year because asphalt factories are closed during winter, and repairs have to be done with a substandard material called “cold mix.” 

So for the next few months, we may be stuck with roads that look a bit like the surface of the moon.

You can report potholes on interstates or state routes to TDOT, and potholes on local roads are the responsibility of the Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT) or the local transit authority where you encountered the pothole.

If your car has been damaged by a pothole, you can also file a claim to TDOT to ask that they pay for your repairs. But you’re unlikely to be awarded any money. According to TDOT’s website, drivers must prove that TDOT already knew about the pothole and didn’t fix it.

How do you avoid damaging your car? According to AAA, you’ll want to make sure your tires are inflated, watch out for puddles that could be hidden potholes, and — this one’s a challenge for you Nashville drivers out there — slow down.

Update: This story has been updated with information from TDOT that a lane on I-65 South near Portland was closed to repair the pothole.