Potholes are a part of everyday life for Hoosiers during the spring and winter months, which can make it expensive for cities to maintain their roads and for drivers to maintain their vehicles. In the first two months of 2025, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works filled 53,000 potholes, compared to 84,760 during the first two months of the previous year (Photo Credit: Kailey Schuyler).
Potholes start to form when water seeps into cracks in the road. When temperatures drop, the water freezes and expands, pushing the pavement up and widening the cracks. Then, when the weather warms, the ice melts, leaving gaps beneath the surface. Vehicles driving over those weak spots cause the pavement to break apart and collapse.
Potholes can grow quickly, especially during seasons with repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Once a pothole forms, it tends to get worse fast, as each passing car or truck breaks away more of the pavement.
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Cities and highway departments typically patch potholes with hot or cold asphalt, but long-term fixes often require more extensive repaving.
The Cold Patch
The fastest and most common pothole repair is the cold patch. It is often used during winter when permanent fixes aren’t practical.
Crews shovel a cold-mix asphalt into the hole and tamp it down. It does not require heating, and it can be done in wet or freezing conditions — which makes it ideal for emergency repairs when roads are crumbling and freezing temperatures persist.
Cold patches often come loose under repeated traffic and need to be replaced — sometimes multiple times in a single season.
Semi-Permanent Patch
A step up from cold patching is the semi-permanent method. This process involves a few extra steps that help the repair last longer.
- Clean out the pothole — removing water, debris, and loose pavement.
- Square off the edges to create a cleaner, more stable shape.
- Fill with hot-mix asphalt, which is heated and more adhesive than cold mix.
- Compact the material using a roller or a vibratory tamper to press it firmly into place.
Spray Injection: Fast and Effective for Certain Roads
In this method, a special truck sprays a tacky binding agent into the pothole, followed by a mixture of aggregate and asphalt. It is fast, can be done without removing the debris from the hole, and doesn’t require full crews — just a trained operator in a truck.
Spray injection works best on roads that aren’t falling apart entirely and can last longer than cold patches, though not as long as a full resurfacing.
Permanent Fix
For potholes that keep returning — or roads riddled with damage — the only real solution is a full-depth repair.
- Saw-cut and remove the damaged section of road.
- Rebuild the base layers, making sure there’s solid support underneath.
- Lay down new hot-mix asphalt in layers, each one compacted.
- Seal the edges to keep water out.
Preventing Potholes
The key to preventing potholes entirely starts with better materials and construction. Traditional asphalt is prone to cracking under temperature swings and heavy traffic. Using more durable, flexible materials — like polymer-modified asphalt or even concrete in high-traffic areas — can make roads less likely to break down in the first place.
Drainage also plays a critical role. Water is the main culprit behind potholes, so well-designed roads should include systems that quickly move water away from the surface and prevent it from seeping below. That means building roads with the right slope, sealed joints and proper gutters.
In colder climates, some cities are experimenting with “perpetual pavement” — a multi-layered road structure that absorbs stress without cracking. These roads cost more upfront but can last decades with minimal maintenance.
Regular upkeep is ultimately one of the most crucial elements of preventing potholes. Catching small cracks early and sealing them can stop potholes from ever forming.
Indianapolis is considering turning to technology to detect weak spots before they become major problems.
For now, Indianapolis locals can report a pothole here, while Beech Grove residents can report them here.