Pothole Season is Here in Maine, and This One is a ‘Big Hole’

Winters wreak havoc on Maine's roads even if we don't have much snow, as has been the case for the 2024 winter season. Potholes are what everyone dreads when driving. I hit one myself late at night several years ago, and it wasn't pretty.

The science behind the formation of potholes is pretty simple. They're caused by the expansion and contraction of groundwater under the pavement. When water freezes, the road expands and weakens the pavement. If enough cars drive over the weak spot, it collapses, forming a car damaging pothole.

One Maine road in particular has been pretty treacherous for drivers. Millay Road in Bowdoinham has several new potholes this season, and according to people who travel over it, the road has been in bad shape for some time.

Public Works has tried filling these big potholes with sand, but that didn't work out, so great. A warning sign went up on Tuesday, but it doesn't look like Public Works did it.

The sign is a piece of plywood next to a pothole in the road that reads "Big Hole" spray-painted in big red letters and accentuated with some yellow ribbons. The big hole it is warning drivers about has been circled with red spray paint. But we still don't know who is responsible for giving drivers the warning. This looks like a sign a frustrated driver put up to me.

Some people, I won't name any names, have been having fun with the dual meaning of the sign. I won't share that here either, but feel free to go to Urban Dictionary and search for it yourself.

Beware of big holes. You've been warned.