NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It’s winter, which means it’s pothole season.
Driving around Nashville, residents keep hearing the single word people use to describe the pothole situation.
“Bad, bad, bad,” C.C Crawford said.
The problem is not an isolated one. With three winter storms already this year, the Nashville Department of Transportation said potholes are popping up all across town.
“We filled over 1,300 potholes since Jan. 1. Last year we filled over 30,000 potholes,” Phillip Jones, Assistant Director of NDOT, said.
Nashville is far from the only city with pothole problems. So what’s being done to find them and fix them?
News4, a sister station in Nashville, found that in Kansas City, MO, city officials installed a camera and sensor system on city vehicles that can detect cracks in the pavement and automatically file a work order.
Across the pond, Great Britain is testing the use of drones to monitor road conditions and utilizing 3-D printers to fill the holes. In Nashville, officials said it’s about getting a higher-quality fix.
“We have infrared trucks that in proper conditions, that’s more of a permanent patch,” Jones said.
No matter how the roads are fixed, people just want their drive around town to go from bumpy to smooth.
NDOT is asking anyone to report any potholes through Hub Nashville. Typically, NDOT tries to repair the potholes within three business days.