Pothole repairs wrap up for commute

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Contractors with Virginia Department of Transportation worked to patch up several potholes on the interstates before commuters hit the road Monday morning.

VDOT officials say crews made good progress on the repair work, but some drivers were concerned the pothole work would not be done before the start of the work week.

 "I don't think they are going to be able to fix all of it," driver Joel Phillips said. "It's a huge chunk of highway that is pretty messed up."

Contractors cleared the roads at 5 a.m. Monday to make way for commuters. VDOT will also release new information about upcoming pothole repairs this week.

That's good news for drivers who have become critical of contractors' maintenance of the roads.

"I think they can do a little bit better job," driver Shane Stetter said. "As long as they can make the roads less bumpy for my car that will be fine."

Since Friday, road crews have worked overtime to fill a stretch of potholes on Interstate 264 and Interstate 64. VDOT spokesperson Jennifer Gwaltney told WAVY.com the weather worked in contractors' favor this weekend. They were able to patch a lot of the tire busting potholes over the weekend.

But Gwaltney says VDOT cannot say with certainty how much progress has been made or how many potholes were patched over the weekend.

"They have been working very hard this weekend throughout the entire Southside interstate system in both directions," Gwaltney said. "They have made good progress. Hopefully people will notice a difference on the roads."

Crews with VDOT are using a hot mix to fill the potholes. In the spring, crews will begin more permanent repairs to damaged interstates.