LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — If you've been out and about this week, you've probably encountered some potholes, which are hard to dodge and can lead to severe damage to your car.
Little Rock street crews are working to get roads in better shape following last week's winter weather.
"These potholes can cause a lot of damage," Eric Petty with Little Rock Public Works said. "It's really important we get them filled as soon as possible."
According to Petty, crews work as quickly as possible to patch them, even on rainy days.
"We do have some material... called Easy Street... that we use," Petty said. "It is a material that sets by compression, so it's something that can be used in the rain or cold conditions."
However, on a dry day, Petty prefers using a hot mix asphalt, which he said is made at plants.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to get back to hot mix tomorrow," Petty said. "But we can continue using this material as needed to fill the potholes until that time."
Since Monday, Little Rock has received over 80 requests to fill potholes.
"We have four crews out being dispatched to those," Petty said. "We really appreciate when our residents call 311. Let us know where they're seeing potholes, and that helps us where we need to route our crews."
Additionally, Petty said it only takes a few minutes to patch a pothole, depending on the size.
"It can be a little longer on a larger area where we need to get our equipment out to help do the compaction, but [it takes] about five minutes on a pothole," Petty said. "Then, they just move directly to the next one."
Petty said anyone who sees the street crews working should give them space so the job can be done safely.
"A lot of times, they have to have flaggers to flag traffic around them or literally close the lane," Petty said. "It's important to set up the traffic just for the safety of our people plus the driving public."
People can report potholes through Little Rock's 311 app on the city's website.
If you encounter one on the interstate, you can let ARDOT know here.