3/7/2007
Media Contact:
Angie Nussmeyer,
317-327-5235 |
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City officially kicks off Pothole Blitz 2007
DPW crews handle early start to pothole season INDIANAPOLIS – Deputy Mayor Steve Campbell joined Department of Public Works pothole patrols today as they continued their blitz to repair Indianapolis streets. The mix of February’s 18 inches of snow, continuous traffic and warming temperatures has taken its toll on local roads.
“Pothole season has come earlier than usual due to February’s severe weather,” Campbell said. “We appreciate the hard work of the men and women of DPW who have been working around the clock to ensure that our city streets are safe to travel upon, whether that’s by plowing snow, preventing street flooding or patching potholes.”
Because of the expected warm temperatures, DPW has stepped up its efforts to proactively fill and repair potholes in Marion County. Starting this past Sunday, up to 24 four-person teams began working 10 hours a day, six days a week (weather permitting) to repair city streets. DPW will continue to assign available resources to manage pothole service requests for as long as necessary.
The number of pothole service for the first two months of the year is on-par with the same time period in 2006. From January 1 to February 28, 2007, DPW
Received 2,095 pothole service requests – more than 750 above average
Completed 1,143 pothole service requests
Closed an additional 2,388 pothole work orders*
Used more than 452.02 tons of asphalt
* Additional work orders include the proactive patching of potholes on streets not reported by citizens.
Freeze and thaw cycles exacerbate the formation of potholes, requiring DPW crews to balance snow and ice management with street repair in winter months. For example, while some crew members worked overnight shifts salting or plowing snow, day crews would either clear stormwater grates to lessen street flooding or patch potholes.
Potholes are formed when moisture below the pavement freezes when temperatures drop, forcing the ground to expand and pushing the pavement up. When temperatures increase, the ground returns to its normal level but the pavement often remains raised, creating a cavity. When driven over, these cavities ‘pop’ creating a new pothole.
Residents should report potholes through the Mayor’s Action Center by either calling 327-4622 or filing requests on-line at www.indygov.org/MAC. Requests should provide information about the location of the pothole, exact address or hundred block, direction of travel and any landmarks that will help DPW crews locate the pothole.
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