Potholes to be asphalted over this week
The annual charge to fill in the many potholes dotting city streets after winter snow and ice have melted away is slated to begin early next week in Park Hills.
City Street Department crews are scheduled Monday to start plugging the holes along city thoroughfares with fresh asphalt.
City Administrator Matt Whitwell announced at the March 10 City Council meeting that work was to begin right away to repair the potholes.
Next week will be the first chance the department has had to address the issue, he said. Asphalt had been unavailable, as local asphalt plants had been closed for the winter. They have re-opened.
In addition, a plan to start asphalting in the potholes Friday had to be abandoned due to rainy weather. Street crews instead filled some of the larger holes in town Thursday and Friday with granular material until they can be asphalted.
Whitwell expects work to fill the spots to continue for approximately two weeks. That tends to be the typical timeframe for the job. “Every spring we spend at least a couple of weeks going around filling potholes,” he said.
Drivers should expect some temporary lane closures while the depressions are being asphalted, Whitwell said. No long-term lane or road closures are planned.
No particular area of the city seems to be more affected than others, he said. Crews will be working all around town.
“We just want to make sure that we get all of them corrected as soon as possible,” Whitwell said.
He does not expect the cost to complete the job to exceed $7,500. City leaders set aside money each year for this type of expense in the town’s roadway maintenance account. Funding to cover the cost will be taken out of the fund.
A variety of factors including snow plowing, and freezing and thawing cycles lead to the development of potholes, he said.
Whitwell noted March 10, as well, that Street Department employees have been cleaning the debris left behind following recent winter precipitation from area curbs and gutters.
Throughout the winter, crews tear out old vegetation that has grown up through cracks, seal up spots and do road maintenance work to make it easier to clear streets of debris and muck when winter snow and ice dissipate. Workers were able this year to get a jump on the tasks, despite the recent winter precipitation, he said.
“I think we’re ahead of schedule on some of those maintenance operations,” Whitwell said.
City road workers had the street sweeper out last week.
“We like to hope it’s the first sign of spring,” he said. “Hopefully, we have gotten through the bulk of the winter weather.”
Park Hills Street Department employee Brett Meador prepares to toss some granular material into a pothole on Municipal Drive Friday morning.
Eric Lewis, part of the City of Park Hills Street Department crew, spreads material over a hole in the street near city hall.
In this file photo a municipal street department employee fills a pothole. This time of the year all entities responsible for paved roadways take time to address newly-formed potholes resulting from winter’s freeze and thaw.
Clementine Carbery is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-518-3616 or ccarbery@dailyjournalonline.com
