This sentiment is shared by dozens of residents and drivers throughout the city, no matter what street you reside on or route you drive. Whether it is a reappearing pothole or newly formed one on a recently paved street, the city’s Public Works Department does what it can to lessen the burden felt by drivers as they make their way around the city.

Jeff Lehman, city public works director, said crews were out Tuesday to apply the cold patch to potholes along heavily traveled streets. However, he noted, the cold patches are just a temporary fix. Street crews can create the temporary cold patch to cover potholes, but the permanent fix of the hot mix — with actual blacktop — won’t be available until the middle of April.

Seeing that it is Western New York and still only February, freeze-thaw cycles will most likely continue, which deteriorates the cold patch over time.

Lehman said when there are large potholes, crews do their best to warn drivers.

The same pothole in Jamestown on Tuesday after a cold patched is applied. A hot mix will be applied to potholes in the middle of April, city officials said. P-J photo by Katrina Fuller

“Last year, around Third and (Washington streets) and Fifth and (Washington streets), we put signs up to direct traffic around (potholes). They were bigger than we could patch,” he said. “It is not to that point right now, but we have a good (weather) day today, with the streets being dry, the cold patch holds better.”

Lehman said they know there are certain problem areas that emerge each winter.

“I don’t know if it is due to the conditions below the streets or because we paved over brick,” he said. “We also have (reoccurring potholes) in areas where there are a high (number of) turning movements or where cars are coming down the hill and people hit it. We have areas that seem to show up every year.”

One of those areas is Fifth and Washington streets, which Lehman said is on the list for reconstruction, that will hopefully take place this spring.

“That seems to be an area that is problematic, but we’ve got it everywhere,” he said. “In the city, outside of the city, especially with the weather we’ve been having, warm and cold spells.”

A written notice to the City Clerk Todd Thomas can be sent by drivers who believe their vehicle was damaged by a pothole in the city. Lehman said the Jamestown City Council reviews the claim to determine if the city is at fault.

Meanwhile, George Spanos, Chautauqua County director of public facilities, said potholes are just natural part of the season. He said they are a “normal occurrence” in areas in which freezing and thawing occurs.

“We continue to inspect our roads, but we also rely on our employees and the public to notify us of pothole locations,” Spanos said Tuesday. “We respond to any such information as soon as possible.”

Spanos said the annual construction program is established based on a road rating condition survey and other factors, such as average daily traffic maintenance costs. He said the program is reevaluated and adjusted if unforeseen deterioration occurs to a road or if funding is changed.

Katrina Fuller contributed to this story.