Nothing signals the start to spring in Chicago like orange cones, road crews and potholes.

With 86% of DePaul students commuting to campus, whether it’s by bus or by car, they know the jolting feeling of hitting a crater in the street. Those few seconds of impact send heart rates racing, as drivers hope they don’t become stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire.

According to an analysis of data from the Chicago Data Portal, between January and May of 2025, residents reported 15,100 potholes to 311, compared to 21,900 during the same time period this year, a 45% increase. 

Hassan Alam, a DePaul sophomore majoring in physics, said he hit a pothole so hard he had to take his car to be repaired after the impact threw off the alignment of his car’s alignment. 

“The pothole was so deep I couldn’t see it,” Alam said. “It almost hurts your soul.”

Rainfall measurements taken at O’Hare International Airport have determined that the Chicago area had the rainiest start to spring on record, exceeding 10 inches between March 1 and April 20 for the first time in the city’s history.

 Because Illinois is one of the flattest states in the country, rain puddles often have nowhere to flow. According to the Chicago Department of Transportation, when water pools on the streets, it freezes at night in cold temperatures, solidifies into ice and expands, creating cracks in the concrete. The daily commute of thousands of Chicagoans further deteriorates the pavement. Potholes form as the water melts and seeps deeper, and the cycle continues. 

“Every two blocks, there’s a giant pothole,” said Mir Ali, a sophomore studying physics who commutes to DePaul.

“I walked out to my car one morning and it was just on the ground, the whole thing was not just flat a little,” Ali added, “I was like, ‘What the heck?’”

In a city plagued with potholes, it’s been a treacherous year for drivers in Chicago. According to  the Chicago Mayor’s Office, crews have already filled 151,000 potholes this spring. 

Mike Drake, CDOT’s deputy commissioner, told CBS News in April that although the city has not seen extraordinary numbers, heavy rains make it trickier to fill them in quickly. The CDOT did not respond to The DePaulia’s request for comment on the condition of the city’s roads. 

Alam, who started commuting to DePaul this year, added, “I’m more cautious all the time.”

Before he started driving to school, Alam used public transportation to get to classes. 

While the trains skid along elevated tracks above the roads, Chicago buses are not so lucky. Chicago Transit Authority bus operator Everett Jones said the potholes are one of the most difficult aspects of his job.

“It’s always terrible, putting wear and tear on the bus,” Jones said.

While the thick tires of the bus are built to withstand the hard impacts of a pothole, Jones said he could still crack a rim, putting a bus out of commission. Even without damage, Jones said the potholes impact everyone’s commute time.

“It slows me down by like 10 minutes,” Jones said. “I got to keep swerving.”

Jones, who lives in the south suburbs, said potholes affect his daily commute to work as much as his job. After a bad run in with a pothole — like Alam — Jones has become much more cautious on the roads.

“I had to get my whole car repaired because I hit a pothole and it messed up everything,” Jones said. “So if I’m driving … I gotta watch out.”

If you notice a pothole in any part of the city, you can report it to the CDOT’s “Pothole in the Street” page.  If it is a sinkhole or a utility hole, which typically looks cut in the concrete into square shape, you can call the non-emergency number 311 directly.

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