BRISTOL, Va. – The harsh winter has produced plenty of potholes in both Bristols, but officials in each city said the problem hasn’t become an excessive one – yet.
“There’s no doubt that all the snow and wet weather is creating a lot of potholes for us,” Bill Sorah, Bristol Tennessee’s public works director, said Wednesday. “But, at this point, we haven’t had any more than usual.”
In Bristol, Va., where crews are preparing to repair a wide section of broken, caved-in pavement at Euclid and Commonwealth avenues – caused by damp weather and constant snow – Public Works Director Tabitha Crowder said the city has been kept busy filling potholes.
“It’s certainly been worse than it was during the last few winters,” Crowder said. “But we’ve haven’t been overwhelmed. And things like the pavement failure [on Euclid and Commonwealth] have been isolated incidents, fortunately.”
Crowder said that because the pavement damage at the Euclid and Commonwealth avenue site was wider and deeper than most potholes, maintenance crews can’t just fill it with asphalt – the usual remedy. Instead, Crowder said, road crews must take out the entire section and totally re-do the road with fresh asphalt.
“Once we get clearance from the utilities [to dig there] there, we’ll get it done,” Crowder said.
Neither Crowder nor Sorah had specific numbers on potholes in their cities. But Sorah said while the constant changes in temperature and moisture levels have caused some crumbling and breaking on Bristol roads, work crews have been able to keep up by using different types of repair products.
“When the temperatures are warmer and the asphalt plants can operate, we can use a hot mix of asphalt on potholes,” Sorah said.
“When it’s colder, we just use a coal mix to patch them up. And so far, it’s worked out well. But it’s still very early in the winter, though.”
rbrown@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2512
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement