What lies beneath: potholes in the making

Motorists might understandably believe all the Coast's road potholes from the January floods are fixed - and if they're not, they should be.

But many potholes are still rising - or yet to rise - to the surface, and council seeks your help as they finally make their debut and their potentially dangerous presence felt.

As the sun beats down on us in the last throes of summer, it is important to note that the huge amount of water which fell in January has substantially raised underground water tables and that water is looking for ways to re-surface.

"The floods this year were preceded by large falls earlier in the season which had already raised the underground levels, exacerbating the flood activity in January; even now the water level is high," council’s Civil Works Manager John Netherton said.

"While motorists use council's 3500-kilometre road network as well as those under the jurisdiction of Main Roads, our crews continue flat-out fixing reported potholes," he said.

"But often these have to be temporary repairs until such time as the road base underneath them is totally dried out."

Any attempt to permanently re-surface a road while the saturated base remains would prove to be short-lived, Mr Netherton said.

In many cases, only the constant grind of traffic using a stretch of saturated road over a period of time will ultimately develop a pothole - and that hole itself may develop quite suddenly.

"Council asks that motorists be patient on Coast roads and drive to local conditions for a safe journey," Mr Netherton said.

Police have noted that the major cause of fatal accidents across the state in 2011 to date have been due to motorists not driving to the conditions (Sunshine Coast Daily, Feb 23).

Any motorist spotting a new pothole emerging should urgently contact council on (07) 5475 7272 or email [email protected] .

Details of current road closures on the Coast can be found on council's website.