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Boston's Morning Newsletter
Why pothole season may hit early in New England this year
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Today’s the anniversary of the infamous Blizzard of ’78, which means it’s time to watch one of my favorite archive news clips of hockey fans stuck in the Garden. (If you’re headed to the Bruins game tonight, don’t worry; the forecast looks pretty clear.)
A warning to New England drivers: Pothole season doesn’t typically hit New England (or, more accurately, we don’t usually hit pothole season) until March. But local experts are warning that potholes may be popping up earlier this winter. Here’s why — and what you can do to save yourself from pricey car repairs.
- The anatomy of a pothole: First, water from rain or melted snow seeps into cracks in the road. That water expands when frozen and contracts when thawed by warmer weather (usually closer to spring). “You add to that the constant stresses of traffic moving over those cracks, and voila, you have a pothole,” AAA Northeast spokesperson Mary Maguire told WBUR’s John Bender.
- Why are they already so bad, so early? This winter in New England has been characterized by warmer, fluctuating temperatures, as well as the rainiest January since 1979. Maguire says that means more expanding and contracting moisture under the pavement, which “literally paves the way for potholes.”
- Pro-tip: Maguire says to keep a close eye on your tire pressure (in addition to the road) to minimize the damage potholes do to your car. That’s because under-inflated tires have much less give when they hit the far edge of a pothole, and even small hits can do accumulating damage. “Many of us see that sensor pop up on our dashboard in the winter, indicating that we’ve got one or more tires that are too low, that are in need of inflation,” Maguire said. “You really need to pay attention to that.”
- Psst: Massachusetts has a pothole hotline (857-368-4636) for reporting major holes on state roads. If you encounter a pothole on a local street or road, call your public works department or file a 311 request.
Rhode rage: It could take up to two years to fully reopen the Washington Bridge between Providence and Massachusetts’ South Coast, if officials decide the I-195’s westbound side needs to be demolished and rebuilt. As The Public's Radio reports, an official decision is expected after more engineering details roll in.
- State officials abruptly closed the western side of bridge due to safety concerns in December. Even after opening an emergency bypass lane, local traffic gridlock has been an ongoing challenge.
Busy week in Hanover: New Hampshire’s Dartmouth College announced Monday it will become the first Ivy League to resume requiring SAT or ACT scores from applicants. The decision comes after a study conducted by the college found test scores could have helped less advantaged students gain access to the school.
- Meanwhile, the National Labor Relations Board cleared the way Monday for the Dartmouth men’s basketball team to hold a vote to create the first-ever labor union for NCAA athletes.
Republican rewind: The Massachusetts Republican Party is returning to its old headquarters. MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale announced in an email Monday that the party will move back to its old Merrimac Street office in Boston’s West End, where they’d been until 2019 when former chair Jim Lyons moved the HQ to Woburn to save on rent. Carnevale called the return “paramount to our continued growth and connectivity to the heartbeat of the Massachusetts government.” (A MassGOP spokesperson said they expect to be fully moved back in by the end of the month.)
- ICYMI: Listen to Carnevale and former MassGOP chair Jennifer Nassour on Radio Boston talk about their approach to the coming presidential race and the local stakes of next month’s primary.
Like father like son: Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick may still be jobless, but the same can’t be said for his son. Steve Belichick, who spent the last decade on the Patriots sideline as a defensive assistant coach, has reportedly agreed to be the new defensive coordinator for the University of Washington’s football team.
- Fun fact: Washington’s new offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll also happens to be the son of a former Patriots head coach: Pete Carroll. (Maybe one of Bill Parcells’ daughters can coach special teams?)
P.S.— The season finale of Violation, our acclaimed podcast with The Marshall Project, just dropped. This eighth and final episode on Jacob Wideman’s story explores what time means behind bars. And listeners respond to the question: Did he get what he deserves?
