SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — With the temperatures getting warmer, Sioux City drivers might have noticed an increase in potholes.

Potholes form when the ice and snow melts causing water to get underneath the pavement and then freezing at night. The ice then expands making the pavement swell, bend and crack.

“It’s typical Midwest. We were fortunate the last few years to have a very mild winter, so the water that was on the roads surface and under the road surface was minimal. This year, we finally did get an average snowfall amount and that’s just contributing to the potholes,” said Patrick Simons, the public works labor supervisor for the City of Sioux City Field Services Department.

Unsuspecting drivers might run over a pothole causing unforeseen damages to their vehicles.

“It’s hard on the suspension, you know your shocks, struts, ball joints, tie rod ends. Most of these newer vehicles have lower profile tires, so if you hit a pothole, you can damage the sidewall of the tire. Sometimes even the rim. And it’s a lot of the times it’ll knock your vehicle’s alignment out,” said Michael Oien, manager of Fremont Tire.

Oien said depending on the severity of the damage repairs can cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

“You know, front end work can cost anywhere from $500 to a thousand. The rims on these newer vehicles are very expensive, they can cost anywhere from $300 to $500 for a new rim. So that would be a big cost if you hit one right,” said Oien.

In 2022, roughly 29,600 potholes were filled in Sioux City. To keep the streets safe for drivers, sometimes the city works both night and day to fill chuckholes.

“We do have multiple crews that go out every single day. At certain times of the year, we will also implement a night crew. They will do some of our priority one intersections that are main collector streets that are difficult to deal with the traffic control during the day,” said Simons.

To prevent damage to your vehicles from potholes, simply taking it slow and being aware of them can help.