Spring fever, pothole fever
The towns of Babylon and Islip are getting help from the state to cover pothole repair after a rough winter. Credit: James Carbone
We delight in the warmer temperatures causing this horrid winter to melt away. But it's not over just yet.
The disappearing mounds of snow and ice are bringing floods to our basements and leaks to our roofs. The swollen ground is lifting sidewalks and filling the offices of orthopedists. But most of all, the melt has brought the most dreaded harbinger of spring: potholes.
Small ones here, and constellations of bushel-sized ones there that rattle the bones and the car. Tire sales are a growth business. Gas stations offering air pressure machines, even ones that suck in quarters, provide sanctuary.
The laments are familiar and annual. Can't these roads get repaired faster? What's happening with my tax dollars? Even the roving pothole crews trying to patch up the mess bring traffic to an annoying standstill.
Yet, the start of spring is a week away. The gritty snow will yield to crocuses and daffodils and joyous holiday celebrations.
And, soon enough, we'll be complaining about the humidity.
