The battle to repair potholes on New Jersey roads is an ongoing one, all year round, according to state Transportation Department spokesman Steve Schapiro.

Schapiro says from January until this point late in September, the DOT has fixed approximately 175,000 potholes so far on state and interstate highways.

He says the busiest repair period is typically the spring, after winter does its worst on roads with the continuing freeze/thaw cycle in the colder months.

Potholes are created when water gets into cracks and then freezes, expanding the pavement, which then crumbles when the ice thaws.

Schapiro said this is why spring is the busiest pothole season.

This past summer, although it was at times hot and at other times flooding wet, did not hamper the ongoing pothole repair push.

"Some repair work can be temperature-sensitive," he said. "Typically, extreme hot temperatures can be challenging when we're doing paving projects. But the summer really wasn't too bad in terms of the weather impact on repairing roads ."

When it comes to spotting potholes, Schapiro says "our crews are out there monitoring and reporting potholes. But we also encourage motorists that see potholes to also report them on a state highway or an interstate."

The number is 1-800-POTHOLE.

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