The good news: winter is slowly melting into spring.

The bad news: that means mud season is not far behind.

In a seasonal newsletter, the Maine Local Roads Center, a division of the Maine Department of Transportation, warns drivers that if they thought the broken and cracked roads were bad now, there’s a chance things could get worse.

Thawing frost and rainfall could further weaken roads, the MLRC warns, or could buckle from the weight of trucks and heavy vehicles. Communities are urged to post such roads just before the thaw and keep the signs up until just after the thaw ends.

Such proactive arrangements not only protect the roads that are susceptible to further breaking, they protect the drivers who use the roads.

Get more information about posted roads here.

We've been receiving tips from you loyal readers on where the worst potholes in your neighborhood are.

Now, you can update our new online interactive maps yourself.

Check out our pothole maps $ Kennebec Journal area or Morning Sentinel locations $ daily for updates on potholes in your area or add a nasty crater to the map yourself.

Despite the snow, no commute-hindering accidents have been reported by area law-enforcement agencies. Keep a stiff upper lip, however, tomorrow is the first day of spring!

Yesterday, we asked you loyal readers to send in tips about where the worst potholes in central Maine lurk, and the turn-out has been great! We plan to launch an online map for your convenience with the location of these pockmarked roads.

When submitting a tip, include not only the street the pothole is on, but please also include the cross street or a prominent landmark the pothole is by (like the railroad tracks or a town office). Help yourself and fellow drivers and keep those tips coming in.

Call 623-3811 Ext. 431 with pot hole or traffic new, or drop me a line at: mmalloy@centralmaine.com

There's been a lot of talk lately about potholes in central Maine and where the most worn roads are.

The Kennebec Commuter would like to map these troubled roads and needs help figuring out where the most torn-up streets and roads are in your community.

Drop a line at mmalloy@centralmaine.com or call 623-3811, Ext. 431, and let us know where the potholes are in your community. You may save someone or yourself money from unneeded car repairs associated with the craters!

The Kennebec Commuter talked about potholes in Maine in last week's commuting column. While the capital city will not be able to permanently fix the pockmarks until almost summer, our good friends at Maine DOT are taking matters into their hands as quickly as they can.

MDOT officials will once again start "posting" roads around the state, warning drivers which roads are starting to show that spring is around the corner.

The right lane of Bangor Street in Augusta is laden with potholes. Motorists must be careful coming off the eastside rotary on Cony Circle or they could be replacing an axle or looking at a front-end alignment job courtesy of these potholes.

Read more about potholes in the Kennebec Commuter's latest column.