Town dealing with potholes

By Ed Harris
Editor
Southington is acting proactively to deal with pothole issues.
Town officials are compiling a list of potholes in town and are addressing them as they come in. The Southington Police Department has taken the lead in compiling the list and the Highway Department is repairing the potholes.
“Potholes are a problem in New England every winter,” said Town Manager Garry Brumback. “However, with the dramatic swings between warm and frigid cold, the problems have been bigger this year.”
Potholes are formed when water seeps into cracks in the roadways when it is warm and then expands when it freezes during colder temperatures, dislodging portions of the roadway. Plowing can also play a part.
There is no one area of town that is worse off than others, officials said. Rather, the pothole reports are coming in from all around town.
Police Spokesman Sgt. Jeffrey Dobratz said residents had reported 10 potholes in town, just over the course of a recent weekend. Recently the department sent an officer around town to document the potholes, Dobratz said.
“It ended up saving a lot of work,” Dobratz said, noting that separate shifts at the department were receiving calls about the same potholes.
Brumback said residents should already be seeing an improvement in the road conditions.
“We’ve had crews working on it for several days.”
Officials encourage residents to notify the Highway Department if they have complaints of potholes forming. The department can be reached at 860-276-9430.
Residents whose cars have been damaged due to the potholes are encouraged to contact the Southington Police Department at 860-621-0101. A police report can help with the insurance claim.