LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) An unusually rainy year for most counties in Arkansas has left the state’s roadways marked with potholes.
Eric Petty is the manager of Little Rock’s operations division. He tells The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that 2018 was the city’s sixth-rainiest year on record.
Petty says water can weaken asphalt by seeping into or bubbling up underneath the material. He says potholes can damage vehicles by blowing out tires or knocking vehicles out of alignment.
Petty says Little Rock saw more than 2,800 potholes in 2018 that cost the city more than $380,000 in labor, equipment and materials.
Arkansas Department of Transportation spokesman Danny Straessle says the agency doesn’t have a specific budget for potholes. He says the department’s 10 districts each receive between $18 million to $20 million for road repair.
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