Mahoning Valley - The stretch of frigid temperatures in the Valley are to blame for extra bumps on local roads, and a major increase in water main breaks in Trumbull County.

The Youngstown Road and Warren Water department said this is a byproduct of cold weather and aging infrastructure.

You may have noticed what feels like speed bumps on the road lately, but they're called "road heaves," and this happens on older roads when water gets into cracks in the pavement.

When that water freezes, the asphalt expands and causes these buckles you'll feel while driving down the road.

"If you don't have adequate drainage in the roadways, and a lot of these older roads do not have adequate drainage," Youngstown Deputy of Public Works, Charles Shasho said, "so that what happens is the base freezes and it starts to heave, so the cracks in the roadway are probably a big culprit."

Shasho said heaves can turn into potholes or naturally return to normal.

Another problem from freeze and thaw patterns? Water main breaks.

The north side of Warren had eight of them this past weekend alone two on Monday. 

Warren's Director of Utilities, Franco Lucarelli, said that's what happens when there are cast iron water main installations dating back to 1925, coupled with the cold.

The soil underground begins to shift and causes cracking in the water mains.

"The soil that is damp and wet underground three feet underground, once it gets to a temperature where that freezes, that soil starts to shift," Lucarelli said, "What happens is you just have too much stress on the pipes, along with the fact that they're old to begin with, and it causes water main breaks."

Both said they do have programs in place to replace aging infrastructure, but it takes time to get there.