While the winter of 2014 is quickly departing the Midcoast, its scars and pocks are staying behind.

But, it has been a trying winter in terms of road maintenance, Steve Reynolds wrote in an email. Reynolds is superintendent of roads, buildings and grounds for Damariscotta and Newcastle.

Reynolds said crews have been doing their best to repair pot holes and frost heaves all winter.

“This winter has been particularly devastating to roads throughout the region,” he wrote. “One contributing factor to the severity of our roads deterioration was the thaw and rains we experienced in January.

“This allowed the frost, that had started to solidify our roads’ structural base, to begin to thaw and start to move.”

From there, the rain water seeped into the cracks and wreaked havoc underneath the roads in ways the region hasn't seen in some time, Reynolds said.

Some areas around the Twin Villages have suffered due to rough weather, frost heaves and pot holes.

“We have some major pot holed areas on Academy Hill, East and West Old County Roads, Cochrane Road and Happy Valley and Hillside Roads in Newcastle,” he said. “In Damariscotta, we are experiencing the effects in the School, Chapman, Church, Hodgdon and Pleasant Street areas and ... Bristol Road.”

Reynolds said in addition to the usual roads, the gravel roads have been hit hard.

But help is on the way: Reynolds has been implementing a program in the Twin Villages to seal up cracks in the road before water can get in and destroy the surface. With warmer weather coming into the region, the roads should improve as the temperature warms, Reynolds said.

“All we can ask for (and hope for) is for a continuing warm-up, and that the remainder of the frost comes out of the ground, our road sub-grades can dry out and then the roads will settle down,” he said. “The cost to repair the roads in our towns is not going down and this winter's actions will have a substantial effect on road surface longevity and future capital roads costs.”