Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - After a week with several feet of lake effect snow, Western New York has seen a warmup that has led to a series of potholes earlier than expected.
"The potholes are certainly starting to present themselves," said Clarence Highway Superintendent Jamie Dussing. "We have a handful of roads throughout the town with significant pothole problems right now."
Dussing says he sees potholes this time of year, and adds work is done to repair them, with one surprise.
"The bigger the potholes, the generally the better they will hold cold patches," Dussing noted.
He says while cold patch is good, something better won't be available in the near future.
"We are probably 6-to-8 weeks from being able to get hot mix asphalt, which is the true fix for potholes," Dussing said.
In West Seneca, where more than six feet of snow fell two weeks ago followed by a warmup, Highway Superintendent Brian Adams says there are some problematic potholes that are starting to pop up.
"We have our crews out now just doing some cold patch, taking notes of areas that will address more with a permanent fix in the spring and summer," said Adams in an interview with WBEN.
Adams estimates about 30 potholes are being dealt with by the town, county and state.
When it comes to the timing, Adams says there's no surprise to him.
"Nothing's really surprising anymore with with all the snow storms and the different fluctuating temperature," he said.
Erie County Department of Public Works Commissioner Bill Geary issued this statement to WBEN:
"Erie County has a complaint line and utilizes all forms of social media to report issues and concerns. We have a well-trained staff out on the roads evaluating and prioritizing the filling of potholes.
"The freeze/thaw cycle we just experienced following the extreme winter weather was the major culprit as large amounts of water leached in the road base and then froze, causing some roads to break apart.
Listeners can make public complaints either by sending an email to: potholes@erie.gov or by calling (716)-858-7966."