Ind. highway crews prepare for pothole season

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana highway officials say they'll have extra road crews working in the coming weeks to patch and repair potholes.

The Indiana Department of Transportation says there's typically an increase in the number of potholes on state highways in the spring, when temperature and moisture conditions make conditions ripe for potholes.

Potholes begin when water seeps into the cracks in a road and freezes. The ice makes the layers of pavement beneath the surface expand, and when the ice melts, it leaves behind space that collapses under the weight of traffic. Crews use asphalt to patch the roads.

Highway crews plan to seal 1,820 lane miles during the current fiscal year.

The Department urges drivers to slow down and be alert for paving crews in the coming weeks.