WAUKESHA — Winter weather is quickly damaging roads across Waukesha County, with potholes forming overnight after snow or rain, followed by freezing temperatures.
Watch: Seeing more potholes? How Waukesha County wants drivers to report them
“It’s not uncommon to see, easily, a hundred potholes by Monday morning if we get snow or rain over the weekend,” said Hans Guderyon, highway operations manager with Waukesha County.
Guderyon said the freeze-thaw cycle allows water to seep into cracks in the pavement, where it freezes, expands, and loosens the road surface.
“We could fix them today, and if this continues, they’ll show up again tomorrow,” he said.
To help crews respond more quickly, the county introduced a new online pothole reporting tool in 2025, which has been in place for approximately six to eight months.
Drivers can take a photo or note the location and submit it online.
“That gets sent to me — potholes, infrastructure issues, all kinds of reports,” Guderyon said.
The system enables the county to track response times by area and sends a follow-up survey to determine whether crews identified and addressed the issue.
During winter, crews largely rely on cold patch, a temporary asphalt mix kept indoors so it remains pliable in colder temperatures.
“If we’re not plowing snow, we’re filling potholes,” Guderyon said. “We can’t be everywhere all at once, but we’ll get to as many as we can.”
He said high-traffic areas such as Highway 16, Moorland Road, and corridors near I-43 tend to see the most damage.
Guderyon urges drivers to stay alert, noting potholes can damage tires, throw off vehicle alignment, and create safety hazards.
“You never know where they’re going to pop up,” he said. “If you see one, let us know.”
The reporting tool applies only to Waukesha County highways. For city or town streets, residents should contact their local public works department.
This story was reported on-air by Kaylee Staral and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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