Only two seasons in Minnesota, winter and road construction. Guess which lasts longer? Roads don’t fix themselves — yet. Imagine highways composed of materials that “regenerate.” What pothole?
For now I’m trusting Google to guide me through unfamiliar-neighborhood detours, waving to locals through gritted teeth.
A recent Minnesota Star Tribune article by Tim Harlow article quoted University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies researcher Eric Lind who noted: “Things have definitely gotten worse if you are trying to travel east-west” in the metro. Now I only drive north-south. Problem solved.
Blame our climate. A long freeze-thaw cycle incubates potholes. Rain and snowmelt saturate roadbeds, and heavy trucks and salt-sand treatments damage surface layers. We rank among the top states for pothole headaches, especially in urban areas.
A pleasant Tuesday gives way to a stalled front squeezing out 1 to 3 inches of rain over southern Minnesota Wednesday and Thursday. Mostly dry Friday and Saturday, then more storms arrive Sunday. Orange cone alert!
