The Latest on Potholes

The Kapszukiewicz administration wants to keep everyone informed on what your city is doing about potholes.

Our team met first thing this morning about a pilot program to patch potholes. Our streets department will be using a skid loader from the city sewers department. It will be outfitted with a 24-inch grinding drum. We will be targeting streets that are high-traffic and have decent pavement, but also have a few bad areas that keep becoming an issue. These areas will be milled out, cleaned, tacked, and patched with a hot, recycled asphalt. We are in the process of selecting streets and issuing a purchase order to get the recycled material. It should be setup and ready to go by next week. This work is weather dependent.

The streets department has two DuraPatcher machines that have been cleaned and prepped for service. DuraPatch is the same method of patching potholes as the “Pothole Killer.” Both of these units will be sent out to other streets that are pothole riddled to smooth out the pavement. They will also be used on concrete streets that need major joint repairs. See more: http://cimlinepmg.com/durapatcher.html

We are considering renting a “hotbox” with a radiant heat unit. This has been demonstrated to us in the past. This is not a quick repair unit but it reheats existing asphalt to make it soft again. That area can then be raked smooth and new material is added along with a liquid rejuvenator. Then the area is heated again until the asphalt can be raked smooth. Lastly, the area is rolled with a steel drum or tamped with a mechanical plate tamp. The process leaves no seams for water penetration. See more: https://www.kminternational.com/equipment/km-2-18x/

Lastly, we have acquired sample buckets of cold patch that sets when water is poured onto it. It claims to be a permanent pavement patch product. This will be tested shortly.

Meanwhile, we continue to monitor the status of asphalt plants, which could open on March 26. That is a tentative date. Weather will be the factor.

City crews are working 10-hour shifts Monday through Friday and 8-hour shifts on Saturdays to catch up on potholes. There will be 8 to 14 crews working, depending on staffing levels and other projects.

Many potholes are the result of decisions made by others outside of the city to remove funding that once kept us up with our streets program. We are seeing the results of those decisions and we are working hard to resolve them. Other communities are battling the same issue.

Your city employees have been working long hours on this. Please slow down when you see them out there.