2023 Pothole Season

[Coyote]

Omaha pothole patrol

[Coyote]

Omaha drivers frustrated as potholes make yearly return


OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The latest warm weather has brought some relief from the bitter cold temps last week, but it also brought along something many Omaha drivers are all too familiar with. "They are not super cool they don't make me jump up and down. I mean, they do make me jump up and down but not because I like them. It's more involuntary than that," said one Omaha driver. With the thaw and subsequent freezes, potholes are starting to crop up across the Metro.

[jjjjhskr]

an annual tradition like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano. We have our quaint traditions also!

[Coyote]

Pothole season starting early, creating headaches for Nebraska DOT crews and drivers
A heavily-traveled overpass, crossing I-80 in Sarpy County, had a hole in it -- you could see through to the freeway below.

The call came into NDOT’s road crews sometime after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday. A heavily-traveled overpass, crossing I-80 in Sarpy County, had a hole in it. A crewman mentioned you could see through to the freeway below. This is life for Nebraska’s Department of Transportation. They’re in charge of keeping freeways safe -- and when the weather goes from cold to warm, then to rain and cold again, it’s a recipe for disaster. “The rain gets down in the cracks, then it gets below freezing and it pops everything loose,” said Jim Laughlin, operations maintenance manager with NDOT’s District 2. City Works estimates there are 55 million potholes in this country. The City of Omaha Mayor’s Hotline tracks all sorts of public complaints, including potholes. In the last 12 months, nearly 9,000 potholes were reported across Douglas County. Abandoned vehicles, graffiti and trash issues were a ways away in the rearview mirror.

[Cermak]

Some bad potholes out there. Try and drive in the center lane away from the curb, most potholes form along the curb . The center lane is usually in better shape.

[Brad]

Curve or Curb?

[Coyote]

'They're Everywhere!': Omaha drivers sound off on potholes



Ron Coleman is just one of many drivers in Omaha trying to get around town while dealing with a major nuisance. Potholes. Coleman said they’re everywhere this season, and that his biggest issues are their size. "Some of these potholes are the size of small Volkswagens," Coleman said. "They’re hard to miss." Coleman drives a Volkswagen and this season he’s had to replace all four tires. "You’re driving down the street and next thing you know just — Bam," he said. He said in many cases, they can take up entire lanes, making them hard to dodge. Drivers are advised to report potholes to the city using the website omahahotline.com. Coleman said he’d like the city to stay on top of the potholes more, until then, he’s learning to cope. "I guess I'll just keep driving safely and trying to avoid the potholes and stressing myself out," he said.

[PWL73316]

I really question these people on the news every year saying they've had to replace all their tires a bunch of times.

Yes, potholes are bad and I've hit more than a few car-swallowers in my time. But none of them have ever popped a tire. Bent a rim, sure, but not killed the tire. What are we doing different, because these people are saying this every time.

[Coyote]

Omaha residents share 'favorite' pothole locations

Potholes — a never-ending problem for Omaha residents. In January 1995, KETV NewsWatch 7 highlighted Omaha residents "favorite" pothole locations.

[Coyote]

It's pothole season, Omaha. How to submit a repair request

It's pothole season, Omaha. The car-rattling nuisances form when rain and snow seep into the cracks in the pavement. When temperatures drop, the moisture freezes and expands causing cracking and pavement damage. If you see a large pothole that needs to be filled, you can submit a repair request with the city of Omaha or by calling the mayor's Hotline.

[Coyote]

Omaha Potholes

The Omaha News streams live every Wednesday at 4 p.m. on YouTube, Facebook and The Knowledge Network (TKN) during the academic year. The half-hour newscast also airs state-wide on NET reaching all of Nebraska’s 1.9 million residents.

[Padre]

Omaha Potholes

The Omaha News streams live every Wednesday at 4 p.m. on YouTube, Facebook and The Knowledge Network (TKN) during the academic year. The half-hour newscast also airs state-wide on NET reaching all of Nebraska’s 1.9 million residents.

He's telling how big a fish he caught in a pothole!

[Coyote]

Mystery water leak troubles Omaha neighborhood



A nuisance has been seeping to the surface in a southwest Omaha neighborhood. Both city and M.U.D. crews are baffled while neighbors in the area of 131st and Atwood want the hazard stopped. A neverending trickle of water has made a big splash among those who drive on Atwood Avenue or live next to it, like Rich Miller. “A real mystery, nothing has been done of it and we have water leaking all the time,” said Miller. “Very noticeable during the summer. No drainage, it just starts leaking up and it’s all wet around that corner.”

It’s a freeze hazard on cold mornings and parents driving kids to Westwood Church Preschool often mention it to Admissions Director Jodi Packett. “They ask if we have called, you know they are confused by it because there’s no ice anywhere else but just that section,” said Packett.

M.U.D. says its experts have spent considerable time and resources investigating the source of the water. Crews have used leak detection devices, dug holes and taken samples. All that testing shows the water isn’t coming from a district main. M.U.D. also lacks evidence of a home service leak because a huge water bill hasn’t popped up in the neighborhood. Omaha’s City Engineer says this leak has been a mystery for Public Works for quite some time. But there is a work order in to tear this area out to find the source and repair it.

[Coyote]

City of Omaha considering purchase of pothole-patching injector trucks



They’ve been in use in the City of Lincoln for several years, and now the City of Omaha is considering purchasing pothole-patching trucks. The trucks can fill up to 150 potholes per day, according to Lincoln’s Transportation and Utilities department. “It’s been a good investment for us because they’re installing more robust, longer-lasting pothole patches that are holding up much better in the long term,” says Tim Byrne with LTU. The machine works like this: first, compressed air cleans debris out of the pothole.

“Then, with a couple of buttons, the operator will then begin to apply a hot emulsion onto the hole which is a glue that will hold it together,” Byrne explains. The hole is then filled with a rock that is also coated in the hot emulsion, binding it together. Byrne says the machines have been more than worth it. Since they were purchased in 2016, the number of pothole complaints has declined in Lincoln each year. Byrne also attributes the decline in pothole complaints to an increase in preventative maintenance like crack sealing, as well as to an investment in the city’s street rehabilitation Lincoln on the Move initiative, which resurfaces streets that are in dire need of more long-term repair.

[almighty_tuna]

with a couple of buttons, the operator will then begin to apply a hot emulsion onto the hole

[Brad]

My 3 Year Old said to me today.....

"Daddy, Why are there so many holes in the road?"

[GenX]

Those machines worked pretty well around Lincoln when I lived there. Wasn’t a perfect repair by any means, but much better than cold patching.