ARIZONA, USA — For months Mother Nature's skies have been wide open dumping snow and drenching rain across Arizona.
While the drops are helping to relieve a long drought, it's now causing something else to open up - the ground.
"This winter has been good for reservoirs but quite hard on the pavement," said Steve Elliott with the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Potholes are popping up on roads and highways across the state.
A school bus in Flagstaff was nearly swallowed by a road that gave way from the stormwater.
"Water gets into cracks and existing patches and that pavement can come loose," Elliott explained.
Elliott said crews are working across over 6,000 miles of roads to catch up to as many craters as possible.
"But after these storms, we're out in full force filling those potholes as we find them," said Elliott.
He said crews are looking for highways with the most holes to patch right now, and then will find a permanent fix when the weather dries out.
The repairs cannot come soon enough for drivers who are fed up and frustrated.
One driver said he saw 30 cars with busted tires and damaged rims on Interstate 40.
Elliott said crews are looking for highways with the most holes to patch right now and then will find a permanent fix when the weather dries out.
Not soon enough for drivers who are fed up and frustrated.
Another driver reported seeing 15 cars damaged by potholes.
Jo Largo and her husband own AM/PM Towing & Recovery in Flagstaff. She said for weeks they've been fishing people out of the deep holes and drivers are losing more than just tires.
"People aren't just losing one tire. They're losing two tires. The front tire will hit, then the back tire will hit. They will suffer lower control arm issues," said Largo.
Elliott said it could take weeks for crews to get to all the potholes. ADOT encourages people to report any potholes they see on highways as soon as possible. You can do so here.
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