The Missouri Department of Transportation wants you to be a member of its “Pothole Patrol.”

Throughout March, maintenance crews will be repairing potholes to keep roads as safe and smooth as possible. The public is asked to report potholes so MoDOT maintenance crews can assess the damage and complete the needed repairs.

“We don’t want to take any shortcuts and sacrifice the safety of our customers and our crews,” said State Maintenance Engineer Becky Allmeroth. “We are focusing on quality repairs. It is not a good use of resources to have our crews going out multiple times repairing the same pothole.”

Allmeroth asks motorists to watch out for crews making the repairs, slow down and move over a lane to give them room to work. As many as 300 pothole patching crews may be working to make state roadways safer.

“Please be aware of crews on the roadway give them room. The work they are performing is saving lives, saving taxpayers’ money and costly repairs to their vehicles,” Allmeroth said.

Motorists can report the location of potholes on state maintained roads using the following tools:

•Call our 24/7 Customer Service Center at 1-888-ASK-MODOT (888-275-6636)

•Use our Report a Road Concern form on the web at www.modot.org

•Use your smart phone/tablet with a mobile friendly form at www.modot.org/roadconcern

|•By email to comments@modot.mo.gov

Potholes form when temperatures warm up during the day, but continue to be cold at night. This is the main cause of potholes in highways and why they are prevalent during spring. The rain and snow from winter leave moisture that seeps into cracks and joints in the pavement. When temperatures drop, the water freezes and expands the pavement. This expansion causes the pavement to bulge and crack. When cars drive over the bulging pavement, it eventually causes chunks of pavement to pop out.

MoDOT spends approximately $15 million a year on pothole patching with the majority of that during the month of March.

The state of Missouri maintains 34,000 miles of road including interstates, U.S. and Missouri routes and lettered routes. Potholes on city streets or subdivisions should be directed to local cities or counties.

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