Pothole season has arrived early in Portland, Maine, and city crews are bringing in outside contractors to help repair problem spots.
"There's only so many crews, and there's a lot of potholes," said Bill Patnaude, special projects manager at Portland Public Services.
The city is getting help from Coastal Road Repair LLC later this week, and officials expect the work to take at least one month. In parts of Portland, it could cause traffic delays.
"Have patience," said Patnaude.
The extreme swings in weather have made potholes a persistent problem.
"The ground is thawing, and the water is going down and will freeze overnight," explained public works employee Keith Emery. "When that water freezes, it pushes up and just breaks. It makes a hole."
Emery said the pothole season seems worse this year than usual, and has arrived early. Drivers agree.
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"It's pretty bad," said delivery driver Brian Welch. "Too many potholes being unfixed, damaging cars, including mine."
Patnaude suggests using Portland's Fix It app to report potholes in your area. The city will attempt to respond and repair the pothole as soon as possible.
