[Durham INC] Durham Urges Pothole Reporting

[Blalock, Amy]

CITY OF DURHAM

Office of Public Affairs

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC 27701

 

 

News Release

 

 

For Details, Contact:

Beverly B. Thompson

Public Affairs Director

(919) 560-4123 x 11229

(919) 475-2362 (cell)

Beverly.Thompson at durhamnc.gov

 

For Immediate Release:  February 11, 2010

 

See a Pothole - Report It

City's Street Maintenance Wants to Know Where They Are

 

DURHAM, N.C. - Winter weather brings more than cold temperatures with
snow and ice - it also brings dreaded potholes, and the City of Durham
wants to hear about it.

 

Durham residents are urged to report potholes to Durham One Call at
(919) 560-1200, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, or after hours and on
weekends via the Durham One Call online service request form at 
www.durhamnc.gov/departments/onecall/online_index.cfm.  

 

According to Katie Kalb, director of the City's Public Works Department,
the recent rash of icy, winter weather has taken its toll on city
streets and the department wants to know where the potholes are located
as soon as possible.  "January through March is the roughest time of
year for our streets and is the timeframe when we receive the most
reports of potholes," Kalb said.  "Right now, we need to know where all
of the potholes are so we can get them into the system to be repaired as
soon as asphalt is available."

 

According to Kalb, the department strives to repair potholes within
five-to-eight business days, but is often at the mercy of local asphalt
plants for getting the necessary materials to complete the job.  "During
the winter, the asphalt plants are not open daily, so it really affects
whether or not we can repair the potholes as quickly as we would like.
If the pothole is severe and a safety hazard, we will use 'cold patch'
as a temporary fix and then come back later when hot asphalt is
available for a more permanent repair.  But, first we need to know about
them, so we can get them on the list to fix as soon as we get asphalt,
or let the State know if the pothole is on a State-maintained street,"
Kalb said.

 

As soon as asphalt plants open again, Kalb said that three pothole
repair crews will be working to permanently repair potholes that were
temporarily fixed with cold patch, and to fill the potholes that have
been reported.  When reporting potholes to the City, motorists are urged
to be as detailed as possible on the specific location of the pothole as
well as its approximate size.  Kalb said not to worry if you don't know
if the street is City or State-maintained - Durham One Call has the
software to identify that information and to notify the State if needed,
or send the service request to the City's Public Works Department.  "We
just want to know where the potholes are at since our motorists cover a
lot more ground each day than our crews," Kalb said.  "Just call us with
the location and size of the pothole and we'll handle the rest."

 

Until asphalt becomes available again and the weather warms up enough to
lay asphalt, the City asks motorists to be patient.  "Street maintenance
crews have been told that filling potholes is their highest priority,"
Kalb said.

 

To learn more about Operation Green Light, the City's ongoing effort to
keep residents informed about progress the City's Public Works
Department is making toward smoother streets for Durham, visit 
www.DurhamOperationGreenlight.org. 

 

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