HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Cars can be seen bumping along the roads of Hopkinsville as potholes pop up all over the city. Rain and moisture seep into cracks in the pavement, pushing up the pavement as it freezes. With temperatures rising and falling throughout January, the constant freezing and thawing causes areas of the road to collapse, creating potholes.

According to Hopkinsville Public Works Director Mike Perry, approximately 10% of their resurfacing budget is allocated for repairing potholes and road failures. In 2024, Perry estimates they conducted around 1,000 pothole repairs, which includes recurrences.

Potholes on Sivley Road. (Contributed by Marilyn Sanders)
Potholes on Sivley Road. (Contributed by Marilyn Sanders)
Potholes on Sivley Road. (Contributed by Marilyn Sanders)

While roads throughout the entire city are susceptible to potholes, Perry added that Sivley Road has been a problem area over the past couple of years. The damage inflicted on this road has not gone unnoticed by community members. “The road has been bad for about six months, but just in the last six to eight weeks, a lot worse,” Hopkinsville resident Marilyn Sanders told Christian County Now.

Since Sivley Road connects to several neighborhoods, it is a high traffic area with fast forming lumps and bumps covering the road. If drivers are traveling at a high enough rate of speed, these hard dips have the potential to do some damage to a vehicle. Sanders has encountered these specific potholes frequently and has seen road crews attempting to repair the damage in the past, but potholes keep popping up.

To avoid ongoing patch fixes on this road, Perry said this street will be completely repaved late this summer by Public Works.

How to report a pothole

In an attempt to keep up with the demand, Public Works responds to reports of potholes within city limits as quickly as possible. Weather permitting, a pothole can be filled within 24 hours by Public Works if people go through the correct channels. Reports that are out of their jurisdiction on state roads are forwarded to the proper channels.

Here’s how to report an issue on the roadway.

  • Contact Hopkinsville Public Works at 270-890-0600 or report through city website www.hokinsvilleky.us under report a concern.
  • Contact the Christian County Road Department at (270) 887-4122 for county-maintained roads.
  • Contact State Highway Department at (270) 885-3388 for state-maintained roads or report a pothole on the KYTC website.

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