IDOT working on Touhy Avenue pothole woes in Des Plaines

Ask about the pothole problem under the I-90 bridge over Touhy Avenue in Des Plaines and Illinois Department of Transportation Section Manager Dennis Mahoney knows right away what you're talking about.

"It's been an area of significant concern for us," he said.

While there was a report this week that several smaller potholes had merged to form one giant that threatened to eat tires, by the time a photographer visited all that was visible was a very rough stretch of road from multiple filled potholes.

Mahoney said IDOT is out regularly filling potholes at locations such as this - when employees can get time off from battling the falling snow, that is. The problem is that the underlying road is deteriorated and the cold patch mix used in the winter isn't a permanent solution, tending to work out under constant freezing and thawing, he said.

When the weather warms and hot asphalt plants reopen, IDOT will begin applying bigger, longer-lasting patches to such areas, he said, though he added that he didn't know exactly where this spot ranks on the department's priority list for such work.