“Pothole season hasn’t started this early in the season in decades,” said Mike Nystrom, vice president of government and public relations for the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association.

Nystrom said Saginaw Street, as well as parts of Hagadorn Road and Cedar Street, harbor some of the worst potholes in the area.

Todd Sneathen, East Lansing’s director of public works, said he’s noticed more pothole problems this season than in previous years.

“Because of all the changes in the weather, we’ve been spending more time with potholes,” Sneathen said. “It’s an ongoing battle to keep the holes filled.”

Rapid swings in the weather, combined with precipitation, wreak havoc on road surfaces, Nystrom said.

“We’ve had these hard freezes and then a thaw which allows for potholes to go under the cracks,” he said.

Nystrom said budget cuts to the state’s road and bridge program also are playing a significant role. The program is losing 18 percent, or $300 million, of its funding in 2008.

“The transportation money has been dropping for a number of years,” he said. “Some of that has to do with fuel and because bonding prices have expired.”

Nystrom said “Band-Aid” jobs, which required in-depth work that couldn’t be provided, could soon catch up with road workers and cause more problems on the roadways.

Patching potholes in the winter is complicated by snow plows, which sometimes run over pothole covers, officials said.

Spanish senior Veronica Rodriguez said she has been paying extra attention on roadways to avoid unforeseen potholes.

“It sucks. You have to make sure your tire doesn’t get caught,” Rodriguez said. “Students especially have to be more careful.”

Other students said transportation officials need to do more to clean up the potholes.

“It seems like there’s a lot of construction projects, but nothing about potholes, and it’s very damaging to the wheels,” English junior Lindsay Kunkel said.