It's suddenly spring (meteorological spring, at least), and potholes are popping up all over the place like a bad case of road acne.
Take the left turn lane from Lexington Parkway to westbound Interstate 94 in St. Paul, for example. The pavement is so riddled with impossible-to-miss divots that Emily Grobelny said she is looking at accessing the freeway by using an alternate route.
Gina Vega said Robert Street between Caesar Chavez and Fillmore streets, also in St. Paul, is so rough that she avoids the road and scoots over to a smoother Wabasha Street to cross the river into downtown.
All across the metro area, motorists are encountering and trying to avoid those road hazards that are as much a nemesis to drivers as they are to public works crews.
"They are trying to dodge them while we are trying to cover them," said Lisa Cerney, an engineer with the Minneapolis Public Works Department.
At times, it seems as if it's a losing battle on both sides.
Just as one hole gets filled, two to three more pop up. On Wednesday, Cerney said the crews started with a list of 35 patches to make, and by day's end three patching crews working around the clock "did a lot more."
Snowmelt coupled with below-freezing temperatures at night have created the perfect conditions for potholes to form. As water seeps into tiny cracks in the pavement, it expands and contracts, damaging the pavement. As traffic puts pressure on weak pavement, it begins to crumble and a pothole is born.