BELOIT, Wis. -- The spring thaw hasn't yet begun, but potholes are already causing problems on some Rock County roads.

While many are welcoming the warmer temperatures, as roads heat up, so will pressure on workers to quickly patch potholes and cracks.

In Wisconsin, as in many cold-weather areas of the country, spring never arrives smoothly. There are always a few bumps along the way. This is especially true when driving this time of year.

"It's like, I hit a pothole, the car bounced, and then there was something wrong with the tire," said Michael Ward, of Beloit.

Avoiding potholes can be a challenge for drivers.

"It kind of feels like you're on a football field. You got to dodge the holes, or tackler, because you know, you don't want to damage your car or you don't want to hit someone else," said Ward.

Neutralizing those problems areas is one of the chief tasks of Rock County Public Works director Ben Coopman.

"The moisture is our enemy in this situation," said Coopman.

Rock County highway crews will use a different mixture of patching material this spring to fill potholes as roads thaw. Officials said that they expect to be busy this year.

"We're kind of afraid what we're going to see with potholes this year. We had a lot of moisture that got down into the road beds and it causes a lot of ice action underneath. So, we're thinking a lot of the roads are going to break up pretty badly," said Coopman.

Officials said that they're very concerned about Highway 67 around Clinton and County Highway M near Janesville. The roads are showing signs of stress as moisture freezes and thaws under the roadway.

U.S. Highway 51 through Beloit has also seen its share of trouble.

"We were getting calls and the plow guys definitely know when they're driving down there. They were really big, some real deep ones," said Beloit streets supervisor Bill Johnson.

Crews in Beloit will use 40,000 pounds of material to patch the roads this year. They said it's a challenge to keep up, but both city and county crews will do their best to keep the roads and drivers safe, WISC-TV reported.

"It's going to be pretty dicey out there for a little bit this spring," said Coopman.

How bad roads get will depend a lot on weather, officials said. Right now, crews are keeping an eye on areas where there is some "frost heaving," where the roadway is being pushed up by moisture.

As soon as spots can be repaired, they said that they'll do the work.

Officials are asking motorists to help by contacting their local public works department to report problem areas.