Potholes shut down I-75 South during Friday morning rush in Dayton

Traffic was backed up on Interstate 75 South in Dayton on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, after the highway was closed near Stanley Avenue for pothole repairs. MARSHALL GORBY \STAFF

Traffic was backed up on Interstate 75 South in Dayton on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024, after the highway was closed near Stanley Avenue for pothole repairs. MARSHALL GORBY \STAFF

All southbound lanes of Interstate 75 were closed for multiple hours Friday morning due to large potholes near the Stanley Avenue exit in Dayton.

Police first went to the area shortly after 5 a.m., and the southbound lanes were reopened just before 9 a.m., according to the Ohio Department of Transportation’s traffic map.

Montgomery County Regional Dispatch reported ODOT crews were called to the area to fix potholes.

“The primary cause of potholes is the freeze-thaw cycle,” ODOT’s Dayton post shared on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. “We will be filling potholes on state and U.S. routes outside municipalities and all interstates.”

When temperatures are above freezing, snow and ice melt or rain can get into the pavement and ground below. Once temperatures drop, the moisture freezes and expands. Then, when temperatures are back above freezing, the ice melts and leaves behind a void that creates a pothole, ODOT explained.

Anyone with concerns, including about highways and potholes, can report them at ODOT’s website, www.transportation.ohio.gov, by searching for the ODOT Feedback Form.

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