It’s pothole season in Pennsylvania: Here’s what you need to know

Encountering potholes on Pennsylvania roads is a common occurrence this time of year. We’ve got details on how to report them, filing a claim for damages, and more.

Potholes are as much a part of Pennsylvania’s identity as William Penn and Yuengling. Which means drivers have to learn to live with them—especially in early spring.

We can commiserate collectively and make dirty jokes about them all we like. But at the end of the day, it’s Pennsylvania drivers against potholes. And if you don’t navigate them successfully, the pothole is going to win—sometimes leaving motorists with thousands of dollars in damage to their vehicles.

So let’s talk about Pennsylvania’s pothole problem.

How do potholes form in the first place?

Potholes are a fact of life in Pennsylvania thanks to what’s called a freeze/thaw cycle. 

In the commonwealth, daily temperatures can fluctuate between freezing and mild during the winter months and into early spring. After precipitation from either rain or snow, the water seeps into the soil below the roadway. When it gets colder, the precipitation freezes and the ground expands, pushing the road up. Then, as the weather warms, the precipitation melts, and a gap is left between the road and the ground below it. When a vehicle drives over it, the road cracks, falls into the gap, and creates a pothole.

So, winters with a lot of precipitation, like the one we just experienced, and changes in temperature result in more potholes. 

Should I contact PennDOT about potholes?

If it’s a state road, yes. 

Every winter, PennDOT (the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) budgets millions of dollars for maintenance, including salting and plowing state roadways. With the money that’s left over, PennDOT works on fixing potholes.

PennDOT can only fix potholes if they know about them. Drivers are encouraged to report potholes on state-owned roadways via PennDOT’s website or by calling 1-800-FIX-ROAD. 

When reporting a pothole, it helps to be as specific as possible. If you can, note the county, municipality, street name, and/or route number. Descriptions of familiar landmarks that could help PennDOT locate the problem area are also encouraged.

Keep in mind that, depending on where you live, it may take a bit of time before PennDOT is able to repair any deteriorated pavement. For instance, the agency has received nearly 7,000 complaints about potholes in southeastern Pa. so far this year.

If it isn’t a state-owned road, you’ll have to contact the local municipality’s public works department.

How can I tell if it’s a state road?

Here’s how to know if a road is maintained by the state:

• Signs: look for keystone-shaped roadside markers like this.
• 4-Digit markers: in rural areas, look for small, white, index-card-sized signs with 4-digit numbers on poles.
• Road names vs. numbers: many state-maintained roads in urban areas have local names, but are officially classified under a 4-digit SR number in the PennDOT Location Referencing System.
• Maps and apps: use PennDOT’s interactive map or county maps to confirm, as these are constantly updated.
• Numbers range: traffic routes are 0001–0999, while secondary, state-maintained “quadrant routes” are numbered 1000–4999.

How do I report vehicle damage?

There is action you can take should your car sustain damage from a pothole on a state road, but it’s not as straightforward as just submitting a claim to PennDOT. 

You can file an insurance claim against the commonwealth with the state’s Bureau of Finance and Risk Management (FARM). While not associated with PennDOT, FARM is responsible for determining if a claim should be paid. 

On non-state roads, it depends on where you are. In Allegheny County, you can file a claim directly with the county. In Philadelphia, you can file a claim with the city.

While filing a claim is a pretty straightforward process, getting reimbursed for damages can be tricky. Typically, these entities only claim responsibility for damages if they’re aware of a pothole and don’t fix it in a timely manner. So the road to reimbursement can involve navigating some red tape. Reaching out to your state representative’s office to help navigate that red tape is always an option in those instances.

Information from USA Today Network via Reuters Connect was used in this report.