We Asked, You Answered: The Biggest Potholes In The Twin Cities

When almost dusk and light turns grey, potholes greedily grasp their prey. Axles, tires, paint are theirs, once you've trespassed in their lairs.

That quippy piece of poetry — despite being written by United Kingdom resident and Twitter user Stuart Ellison-Smith — still encapsulates the odious nature of the miniature craters that crop up in neighborhoods throughout the Twin Cities seemingly overnight.

The smaller cracks can be avoided through a professionally-executed swerve maneuver, but some chasms are so big they leave us no choice but to hold our breath, brace for impact, and hope for the best.

You count yourself lucky if your tires live to see another day, even as you make a mental note to schedule a wheel realignment with the local auto mechanic.

It's a minor miracle if your car still has all four of its hubcaps by the end of the spring. Street corners are littered with the things by late march.

"I hit a pothole, car went lame, not to blame, made a claim, nothing came, crying shame I hit a pothole." - Karen Tolhurst, Twitter

So why is it so hard for municipalities to fix potholes, especially in Minnesota? The answer — like the answer to many questions posed in the Land of 10,000 Lakes — is the state's cold weather.

Temperatures fluctuate between freezing and above-freezing throughout March and April. Violent temperature swings are asphalt's kryptonite.

When temperatures warm during the day, water from melted snow and ice seep below the road's surface. Temperatures drop overnight and the water freezes and cracks the road. When the next warmup happens, vehicle traffic over the cracks create a hole (if not a canyon).

The months of salt and winter plowing don't exactly help roads either.

To make matters worse, the type of asphalt mix needed to fix potholes this time of year — "cold mix"— is "very temporary," Saint Paul spokesperson Lisa Hiebert told Patch.

"A lot of people could easily think that the potholes are being ignored, when in reality, they could be put in one day and depending on the weather conditions and traffic, could pop out that next day," Hiebert added.

"Potholes always seem to get better when the weather gets better. It’s not magic or people’s imaginations, it’s using the more permanent hot mix asphalt."

If we're forced to share the roads annually with potholes in Minnesota, then we at least should know where they are. Earlier this month, Patch asked readers to report locations of the largest potholes across the metro.

Here's what you told us:

Have any more potholes to add? Tell us in the comments!

Saint Paul

• Ayd Mill Road between I-35E and Grand Avenue

Eagan

• Onramp to Highway 55 from Highway 149
• The onramp to I 35E north from Pilot Knob Road
• The onramps to I-35E from Cliff Road

Mendota Heights

• Highway 13 just south of I-35E

Richfield

• Entrance to Portland southbound off of Highway 62 east
• South on 12th Street crossing 77th Street.
• 65th and Penn
• Nicollet and 65th

Burnsville

• The end of the of the cloverleaf onto I-35W south from Highway 13

Apple Valley-Rosemount

• Between Shannon Parkway and Diamond path

Northfield

• Frontage road south of Woodley Street
• Bollenbacher Drive

Woodbury

• Weir Drive
• Upper Afton Road
• Woodbury Post Office entrance
• Turn lane north onto Radio Drive from Valley Creek
• Hudson Road and Radio Drive
• Tamarack Road near Woodbury Drive

Maple Grove

• On 93rd Avenue between 81st and Shingle Creek
• Turning from Weaver Lake Road onto Dunkirk Lane north
• North Eagle Lake Boulevard by Maple Grove Middle School

St. Louis Park

• Cedar Lake Road under Highway 100
• The Aquila Avenue access to Highway 7 westbound
• Lake Street heading west near Dean Parkway

Pothole Resources:

If you want a pothole fixed, the best thing to do is call it in.

Remember some roads fall under the responsibility of the county or MnDOT, while others should be taken care of by the city.

To report a pothole on a highway in the Twin Cities metro, contact MnDOT.

Report potholes on Dakota County roads by calling (952) 891-7900.

For Burnsville streets, call (952) 895-4550
For Eagan streets, call (651) 675-5300
For Apple Valley streets, call (952) 953-2400
For Rosemount streets, call (651) 322-2022
For Northfield streets, (507) 645-3045
For Mendota Heights streets, file an online report.

Report potholes on Hennepin County roads online here.

For Minneapolis streets, file an online report.
For Richfield streets, file an online report.
For St. Louis Park streets, call (952) 924-2562
For Maple Grove Streets, call (763) 494-6370

Report potholes on Washington County roads by calling (651) 430-4300

For Stillwater streets, call (651) 275-4100
For Woodbury streets, call (651) 714-3720

Report potholes on Ramsey County roads online here.

For Saint Paul streets, call (651) 266-9700

Image via Shutterstock