As Winter Ends, Pothole Season Begins

By Kristen Johanson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia region has been hit hard the last two winters. And now, with spring just around the corner, there is a downside to the big thaw -- potholes! It seems like any road you travel, drivers are trying to avoid them.

MariEllen has already lost two tires to potholes this year.

"I am driving zig-zags through the streets just to avoid everything," she says.

Potholes have also been a nightmare for drivers like Candace.

They were so bad that the front end of my car was like going into a divot," she says, "and coming back out, the ground was so broken up."

But her friend Caroline from Chicago was surprised to see so many.

"Where I'm from," Caroline says, "that would be taken care of right away."

PennDOT's Charlie Metzger says although the roads are bad, road crews are doing what they can to quickly fill the holes.

"We are having a pretty busy year, we are staying in front of the potholes as they pop up," he says. "We are getting reports, we have crews out patrolling."

PennDOT says drivers can help by calling their hotline to report a pothole at 1-800-FIX-ROAD.