|
Potholes and Pothole Rangers
Report A Pothole! Our goal is to repair potholes within 48 hours (two business days) of receiving a report. POTHOLE AND STREET REPAIR HOTLINE: Frequently Asked Questions about Potholes What you have been wanting to know but didn’t know who to ask… Why are there so many potholes in Seattle streets? You can expect to see more potholes in the winter and spring, following periods of cold temperatures and rain or snow. It is helpful for the public to call SDOT and report potholes on streets within the city limits, (206) 386-1218, so we can fill them quickly. Regardless of the weather, potholes are a symptom of pavement that is wearing out. Our city has a large backlog of deferred maintenance that has accumulated over 40 years of not having enough money to adequately repave streets. During that time, the cost of paving materials has greatly increased, and also the amount and weight of traffic has increased. The good news is that in November of 2006, voters approved the Bridging the Gap transportation initiative that provides much needed funding for street paving, as well as for other maintenance and street improvements, over nine years. With this funding, SDOT is conducting an ambitious program to get streets back into proper condition—but just as it took years for the street condition to decline, it will take years to catch up. You filled a pothole, but a few days later, there it was again. Why don’t your repairs last longer? Potholes are temporary repairs. The long-term solution is to re-pave the street. That said, some pothole repairs last longer than others. The material used to patch potholes doesn’t stick as well to the surrounding pavement when it is cold or wet, so repairs made in the winter may not last as long as on dry, warm pavement. We can’t wait for dry weather to fill potholes, however, because we must maintain safety, and minimize damage to vehicles. Also, in late December and the beginning of January, asphalt plants are closed, and hot asphalt is not available. Instead, during these weeks, we use “cold mix.” Pothole repairs made under adverse conditions may not last as long, but the potholes still need to be filled for reasons of safety. If the cause of the pothole is not corrected, such as water getting under the pavement, pothole patches may fail, or more potholes will continue to form. The long-term solution is to repave the street, and in some cases, to reconstruct the street from the ground up, and from curb to curb. SDOT says it fills potholes within 48 hours, but the pothole is still there. What’s going on? First, it is important for people to call SDOT and report potholes. If we don’t know about them, we can’t fill them. In 2007, SDOT filled 94 percent of potholes reported by residents and businesses within two business days. There are several reasons why we may not have made the repair you requested within 48 hours (two business days). The following circumstances are not included in calculating the 94 percent rate: Can’t find the pothole: Sometimes we are given incorrect addresses, or there may be a car parked over the pothole when we arrive, hiding it from view. If we have the name and telephone number of the person who reported the pothole, we call for a better description of the location. Utility cuts: Some of the potholes reported are the responsibilities of other parties to fill. The agencies or private contractors who dig into the street to work on underground utilities must either repair the street pavement or pay SDOT to make the final, permanent repair. If the "utility cut" is not properly repaired, the area of the excavation can sink, leaving what can appear to be a pothole. When these are reported, we may require the utility to return and correct the paving. This may well take longer than two business days. Utility covers: When entrances to underground utilities become worn, the owners of the utility must repair cracked or damaged pavement around the rim. Railroad Tracks: SDOT is not allowed to work within ten feet of railroad tracks. This area must be repaired by the railroad. Off to the side of the road: Sometimes a pothole forms off to the side of the roadway, especially when drainage is inadequate and the area is used for parking. These areas are usually the responsibility of the adjacent property owner to maintain. (When a street is fully improved, these areas include a planting strip, sidewalk, and curb.) An SDOT Street Use Inspector can verify if the pothole is in the part of the right of way that is the responsibility of the property owner. Can’t be repaired as a pothole: Some defects that are reported as potholes are really some other kind of problem that can’t be repaired as a pothole. Sometimes it is a rough or rutted surface of a road that needs to be repaved or totally rebuilt from the base to the surface. Other times it is a void or sink-hole, a crumbled street edge, or pavement with layers of asphalt that have become separated (delaminated), or a long fissure or crack. A few streets in Seattle are surfaced with a very thin layer of liquid asphalt (containing no aggregate) covering bricks or paving stones. Defects in these streets cannot be fixed as a pothole. While most defects can be repaired, it may take longer, and some processes, such as crack seal or chip sealing are only done in the summer. If there is a safety hazard, SDOT crews will set barricades around the problem area or they may close a lane. How do I know if what I am reporting can be repaired as a pothole or not? We don’t expect everyone to be able to distinguish among pavement defects. We encourage you to report any type of pavement defect that is of concern to you, especially if it appears hazardous. If we can’t make an immediate repair, we may be able to repair it later. If needed, we will block off the area to maintain safety. Does SDOT fill potholes on residential streets? SDOT fills potholes on paved residential streets. On streets that are not paved with concrete or asphalt, such as gravel roadways or streets with chip-sealed surfaces (emulsion embedded with crushed rock), repairs may need to wait until the street can be graded or resealed. Does SDOT fill potholes in alleys? SDOT fills potholes on paved alleys, but will only address the most urgent safety concerns on unpaved alleys, where maintenance is primarily the responsibility of the adjacent property owners.
Pothole Rangers fill potholes SDOT has four trucks, called hotboxes, dedicated to filling potholes. The teams that take these trucks out to repair Seattle streets are called the Pothole Rangers. The Pothole Rangers fill approximately 40,000-60,000 potholes each year. roughly 7,600 potholes a year are reported by the public. Rangers fill potholes within 48 hours The goal is to fill potholes within 48 hours (two business days) after they are reported to SDOT. We filled 94 percent of reported potholes within two business days in 2007. This does not include pavement defects that cannot be repaired as potholes. Some pavement defects cannot be repaired like potholes Some pavement defects can’t be repaired with a simple pothole patch. These include rough roadway surfaces such as ruts, long cracks, and sink holes, and must wait for other remedies. Sometimes someone else must repair the street SDOT requires other parties to repair roadway defects in some cases, such as contractors who dig up the street to work on underground utilities (called utility cuts); problems off to the side of the road in a parking or sidewalk area that are the responsibility of the property owner. What causes a pothole? Street pavement cracks and breaks because of water or traffic. Water can get under the pavement through cracks or from the side of the road. Over time, the water can cause the material under the pavement to erode, causing the pavement to sink down and break. During the winter, the water under the pavement can freeze and expand, and then thaws and contract. This freeze/thaw cycle can cause the pavement to crack so that it deteriorates quickly under the weight of traffic, and then streets can seem to break out in potholes overnight. Traffic that is too heavy for the pavement’s design can result in cracks. Large volumes of traffic or heavy trucks and buses using a street not designed for this load can cause the pavement to crack and break apart. The solution to potholes The long-term solution to potholes is to pave or reconstruct the street. Potholes will not usually form on pavement that is in good condition, that keeps water out from under the pavement, and that is designed for the type of traffic that uses it. Thanks to Bridging the Gap, SDOT will pave 32 plus miles of road in 2008.
|
|
|