Every fall, road crews in the northern U.S. race the same clock. When the hot-mix asphalt plants close for the season, the easiest supply of patching material closes with them. In Jackson County, Michigan, officials decided that clock was worth paying for.
On October 27, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners voted to add $100,000 to the county's contracted pothole patching budget, raising it from $400,000 to $500,000 for the rest of the year, according to MLive and WILX News 10.
Why the extra money mattered
The county has its own crews, but they also handle other road work. Contracted crews fill the gaps. In her request, Angela Kline, the Jackson County Department of Transportation's managing director of transportation, wrote that crews were focused on patching the county's aging roads "before the hot mix asphalt plants close for the season and winter weather begins."
Without the increase, the contracted budget would have run out by the end of October, leaving county employees to handle everything alone and risking more open potholes at the start of winter. Board Chairman James Shotwell told WILX the extra funds came from money left over on other projects, and that crews would keep working "until the first hard frost."
Drivers are feeling it
Local drivers told WILX that potholes have been especially bad in recent years. One described having a tire blow out after hitting a hole she didn't see. Shotwell said the county wants to fix any pothole larger than three inches across and deeper than one inch.
The gap after the plants close
Jackson County's push is smart planning. But potholes don't stop forming when the plants shut down. Freeze-thaw cycles open new holes all winter, and that's when crews most need a material they can use right away.
EZ STREET® Ambient® Asphalt is engineered for that window. It doesn't depend on a hot plant: it can be stockpiled for months and used straight from the bag or bulk pile. It goes into wet holes and holes holding water, bonds to asphalt and concrete, and opens to traffic as soon as it's compacted, with no mixing and no tack coat. It's thermally resilient, so repairs made in January can still be there in April.
A winter-ready checklist
- Patch hard before the frost. Jackson County's approach of fixing as much as possible now is the right one.
- Stock material for after the plants close. A stockpile keeps crews productive all winter.
- Make reporting easy. Jackson County residents can call 517-788-4230 to report a pothole.
The hot-mix season has an end date. Pothole season doesn't. With enduring materials like Ambient® on hand, crews can keep the roads safe long after the plants go quiet. Learn more at ezstreetasphalt.com.
Source notes: MLive (October 27, 2026); WILX News 10 (October 29, 2026).
