Snow and ice melt leads to potholes causing costly vehicle repairs

ROANOKE, Va. – The snow may be over, but the damage it left behind is just starting to show up on our roads. As snow and ice melt across the region, cracks and potholes are appearing, leading to costly repairs for some drivers.

Charles St. Clair, owner of Affordable and Dependable Auto Services and A&D Towing, described a recent case: “This was actually from trying to miss a pothole or hitting a pothole and going into the curb, so we actually towed this in this morning and of course, it’ll be ball joint, suspension, alignment and tires.”

When asked about the cost of such repairs, St. Clair said, “I think the invoice for this, taking the body damage out of it here just to get it drive-able is about $750 total.”

According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, potholes form when water seeps into pavement, freezes, expands, and then thaws. This process weakens the pavement, and passing traffic loosens it further, creating potholes.

St. Clair noted that winter weather is causing significant damage to vehicles. “I would generally say between a tow, tire and alignment, maybe $250 and that’s the minimum,” he said. “It could be thousands, you could damage the subframe or even the engine cradle and potentially total a vehicle.”

He offered advice to drivers on how to handle potholes safely: “Sometimes it’s better to just hit the pothole and slow down instead of trying to swerve left, swerve right because you can hit a curb, you can roll your vehicle, you can hit other vehicles, you can even hit a pedestrian. So I would definitely just try to go slow. If you see one, to the best of your ability, minimize your speed as you hit it.”

Drivers who spot potholes can report them to help crews fix the damage faster.

• If the pothole is within Roanoke city limits, you can report it with the city here. This directs you to their Paving Program, where you can see a map of streets scheduled for paving. The website directs you to call, use this website, or use the iRoanoke app to report a pothole.
• If the pothole is outside Roanoke city limits, you can report it with VDOT here.

If your vehicle is damaged by a pothole, drivers can file a claim, though each case is reviewed individually.

• You can file a claim with the city here.
• You can file a claim with VDOT here.