Winter is exacerbating Luxembourg’s potholes

Cold and icy weather in the Grand Duchy is causing potholes to pop up around the country, according to Luxembourg’s road and bridges administration.

Luxembourg, like much of Europe, has recently been plagued by freezing temperatures and some snow – and this could be one of the causes that leaves holes in the roads which can lead to traffic jams and delays.

“Potholes are mainly caused by freeze-thaw cycles, when ice and water accumulate in the road and cause cracks,” Ralph Di Marco, a spokesperson for the road and bridges administration said. “Temperature fluctuations [then] lead to the formation of these cracks.”

Once the cracks have formed, traffic amplifies them and turns them into potholes.

“The cracks get bigger and bigger due to the load, especially from heavy goods vehicles,” Di Marco added.

Repairing potholes is not a difficult task, Di Marco said. “But it can’t simply be done at all times and in all conditions,” he added, explaining that potholes can’t be repaired or filled at freezing temperatures.

“You can only work with normal asphalt at higher temperatures – more likely towards the end of winter, early spring,” Di Marco said.

How easy it is to carry out repairs also depends on the size of the pothole. Smaller holes can be filled at short notice, Di Marco explained. But bigger potholes can take extensive work to repair and it might be necessary to carry out work on entire sections of the road.

Anyone who spots a pothole they think is dangerous can report them directly to info@pch.public.lu.

(This article was originally published in the Luxemburger Wort, translated using AI and edited by Kate Oglesby.)