Maria Cadden has had enough.
For years, the Scranton woman has carefully navigated Meadow Avenue to avoid the minefield of potholes that seem to increase every winter.
While she has been successful in doing so, her aunt and uncle weren't as fortunate. Last year the couple drove into a pothole near her home and blew a car tire.
"The problem is that these potholes haven't been filled in years, no matter how many complaints have been filed," Ms. Cadden said. "The road is eroding and the potholes get worse every year."
This year is no exception.
A mix of heavy snowfall and temperature swings has contributed to a spike in potholes seen across Northeast Pennsylvania.
Found more often in older roads because they are brittle and tend to contain more cracks, potholes are formed when water - whether it be rain or melted snow - slips down the cracks and seeps into the subgrade, a layer beneath the pavement, said Paul Menendez, a senior civil engineer supervisor with the state Department of Transportation.
As temperatures cool to freezing, the water turns to ice and expands beneath the pavement - forcing the pavement to adjust its shape and rise.
Warmer temperatures then cause the ice to melt, leaving a hole between the pavement and the subgrade, he said. Eventually, the weight of vehicles traveling the section of road will cause the pavement to break, and form a pothole.
"This year we have had quite a few (potholes)," Mr. Menendez said. "Last year, when we had very warm, dry weather, we had very few potholes. The process of clearing the snow this year has only made it worse, because it creates the melted snow that gets in the cracks."
Similar to PennDOT and most municipal officials, Scranton Department of Public Works Director Mark Dougher said workers are using cold patch material as a temporary fix until the blacktop plants open in the spring.
He said crews have been busy all week, pointing to the 20 tons of cold patch they have used so far to fill potholes throughout the city.
"It's the busiest time of the year, but as far as the number of potholes and amount of cold patch used, this is normal for us," said Mr. Dougher, who said a ton of cold patch costs around $120. "It's a little more expensive than the hot stuff, but you have to go out there and hit every street you can."
South Abington Twp. Manager David O'Neill said the township is having a "typical" bad year again with potholes, after just a few formed during last year's winter.
Though officials drive township roads during the spring to gain an idea of what roads need work, Mr. O'Neill said it's impossible to know beforehand what roads will be plagued by potholes come winter.
"We do as much as we can on a daily basis," Mr. O'Neill said. "It's more costly for our residents to have to replace their tires than it is to fill the potholes."
Despite the inclement weather, Dickson City Borough Manager Ches Forconi said officials have received very few complaints so far. Aside from a couple of new potholes, everything has been pretty quiet, he said, though he is keeping his fingers crossed.
"It's surprising that with the snow and freezing temperatures we haven't seen more," Mr. Forconi said. "But we have a very good road department that is always on top of things."
Though the number of pothole-plagued roads or highways has seemingly increased since the first snowfall, Mike Curtis, a store manager at Sandone Tire, said he hasn't seen a spike in customers asking for car alignments.
Normally, he said, driving into a pothole causes the tie rods - used for steering - to bend or get knocked out of place.
"It's metal to metal practically, and it just gets hammered out of alignment," said Mr. Curtis, who cited the economy as a reason for the limited number of alignments. "People aren't fixing it until they absolutely have to. They aren't going to go and check if their alignment is out, they are going to wait until it ruins the tire, or they come in here for a leak."
Recalling the incident that left her aunt and uncle a tire short, Ms. Cadden questioned whether the potholes - especially the large one they crashed into - would ever be fixed.
"They (the city's crews) just fixed one on Hickory (Street), but they didn't come down here," she said. "I don't get it."
Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on Twitter