The next battle after Lexington’s snow and ice? A whole lot of potholes on these roads
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Road thaw and repeated freeze/thaw cycles will produce more potholes across Lexington.
- North Limestone, Main Street and Nicholasville Road tend to be among problem areas.
- Report potholes to city public works so crews can schedule inspections and repairs.
The fallout from Winter Storm Fern may finally loosen its chokehold on Lexington’s roads, with the National Weather Service expecting temperatures to rise to nearly 60 degrees Fahrenheit by Tuesday, Feb. 10.
However, lurking underneath the ice is another roadway hazard: potholes.
“We will focus on potholes as soon as we have everything cleaned up and dried out from the storm,” Nancy Albright, Lexington’s commissioner of environmental quality and public works, told the Herald-Leader in a call Feb. 6.
Albright said the city will be assembling multiple crews to patch potholes once they wrap up Winter Storm Fern cleanup efforts.
It’s not unusual for Lexington to see additional potholes on the streets in the spring, and drivers report roads such as North Limestone, Main Street and Nicholasville Road as being among the worst. Additionally, multiple freeze/thaw cycles can worsen the issue.
Here’s a look at why that is, which roads to avoid if you can and how you can report potholes for the city to address.
Why are there more potholes after winter weather?
The Herald-Leader previously spoke with Chris Groves, Ph.D. Groves directs Western Kentucky University’s Crawford Hydrology Laboratory and is a university distinguished professor.
What it comes down to is that water expands when it freezes. When water infiltrates the roadway through surface cracks, then freezes, there’s a gradual warping process that’s accelerated by multiple freeze/thaw cycles.
“It’s actually kind of like a feedback process,” Groves told the Herald-Leader in a 2024 interview. “The freezing and thawing is causing cracks. The cracks make it easier for more water to get in there.”
To make matters worse, rock salt used to de-ice streets and roads can also have corrosive effects. The damage extends to more than just the road itself, but your car, roadway infrastructure, drinking water and the environment, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Which Lexington streets tend to experience the most potholes?
Lexington’s most well-traveled roads tend to experience more potholes come spring. Think New Circle Road and Broadway.
You can track recent pothole service requests with a map maintained by LexCall. Filter for pothole repair, and you’ll get an idea of clusters around the city.
According to a Herald-Leader review, pothole reports are clustered along on Tates Creek Road and High Street, near where Midland Avenue and Main Street converge, North Broadway near Loudon Avenue, Winchester Road near East New Circle, Cherokee Park off Nicholasville Road, the intersection of Zandale Drive and Bellefonte Drive and Keithshire Way near Wellington Elementary.
How to report potholes in Lexington
According to the city’s website, the quickest way is to contact LexCall, the city’s call center for information and service requests. Call 311 or 859-425-2255 to reach LexCall. Its normal business hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
You can also make a service request online. Specify that you need pothole repair in the form online and provide as much detail as possible. Enter the pothole’s location by submitting the address or selecting the location directly on a provided map. If you don’t know the exact address, select the closest location and include additional details describing the area.
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