The blast of cold weather brings the potential for something we dread every year--potholes.
Even the smallest one can cause major headaches for everyone on the road.
The good news is the city of Knoxville is working hard to keep them under control.
Every single winter, it happens - smooth roads erode into cracked pits of misery also known as potholes.
"Late January, and well into February is when we start seeing pothole calls," said Director of Public Services for the city of Knoxville Chad Weth. "Typically it's just moisture underneath the top of the roadway, and then when it freezes, it expands and contracts and then it breaks up the asphalt."
We told you previously about a report from the American Society of Civil Engineers that gave Tennessee's infrastructure a C. That's the same grade it received eight years ago.
Weth said the city is fighting to improve the roads.
"We have six trucks, so again we're divided into six different zones, each zone has their own truck," Weth said. "They tackle their own potholes."
City engineering resurfaces about 48 out of the 1,000 miles of city roads each year, with $8.3 million set aside in the budget for that purpose.
"They have certain criteria that they look at and the number of potholes is one of those criteria, so if the road gets constantly torn up and has a lot of potholes, that will get bumped up the list to be resurfaced," Weth said.
But if you see a pothole, let the city know.
"The best thing to do is call 3-1-1, and if you're outside the city dial 215-4311 and report it," Weth said. "We try to get every pothole filled within 48 hours."
Which will hopefully make this year a little less bumpy on the roads.