(ABC 6 News) – Normally this time of year in the upper Midwest we are dodging potholes left and right, but this year it seems like it been a rather smooth ride out on the roads.

“Last year we were just coming out of a really really rough winter, lots of snow, lots of potholes, a lot of freeze thaw and this year not much snow at all,” said Jake Bucho the street maintenance manager for the city of Rochester.

Normally the roads are like an obstacle course this time of year, but Busho says the mild winter has given road crews in Rochester a little bit of a break.

“When the freeze thaw happened, and the roads are melting and they get down into those cracks in the road the ice when it freezes it will expand contract and then it will make the pop which causes the pothole and those are what people have to dodge and drive around before we can get them filled back in,” said Busho.

Busho says there have still been a good number of potholes to fill in but with less focus on those road craters they have been able to start of other projects sooner.

“Our mill and overlay which I think kicked off the 12th may and this year we kicked of just last Monday, so we are starting that process a lot sooner hopefully getting those roads put back to a new asphalt before too long, so the residents are happy,” said Bucho.

Busho wants to remind drivers to still look out for those potholes but also watch out for crews working on the road. Make sure to slow down and move over if you can.