New England traffic has always had to negotiate the effects of our repetitive freeze-thaw cycle, which leaves roads a gantlet of potholes. That same cycle bursts water lines beneath roads, forming sinkholes to menace traffic as well. A torturous winter season always has the ability to make Boston’s roads as much an obstacle course as they are transportation infrastructure.

In this March 3, 1970 photo — probably a whimsical creation by the Associated Press photographer rather than a found situation — upside-down boots provided a humorous depiction of falling knee-deep into a pothole on Stuart Street.