Lexington City Acts Rapidly to Resolve Pothole Issue
LEXINGTON, KY – The regular commuters and drivers in Lexington have probably had a firsthand experience with the frequent, pesky potholes that seem to be on almost every route. However, the city’s Streets and Roads division has been proactive, filling nearly 1,000 potholes in the month of February alone.
Greg Taulbee, Operations Supervisor of the City of Lexington’s Streets and Roads division, gave an insight into their operations, “I may be closing two days’ worth of work orders on today. By the time we get them, and they’re filled, and I close out those work orders and put those numbers into the system, it could be two days worth. I’d say we’re averaging over 100 a day easy.”
Challenges Faced in Road Repairs
One of the major challenges faced by the crew undertaking the repair work is that they need to resort to using cold mix due to the freezing weather conditions. While cold mix is a suitable alternative under the right conditions, the frequent freeze-thaw cycle has meant that the crew often has to revisit the same potholes a few times.
Sharing his professional insight, Taulbee explained, “Throughout the summer, that’s what we normally use for potholes, hot mix asphalt. But in the wintertime, it’s not being made. It’s just too cold for them to make it.”
The Cause of The Potholes
So why are there so many potholes in Lexington right now? “Cars drive over the little cracks and the small holes. And it just becomes bigger and bigger and bigger. With all this rain we’ve been having, we’ll fill a bunch of potholes. And then the rain comes and washes them back out.”
This monthly tally of nearly 1,000 potholes only accounts for city-maintained roads. Lexington residents can report any potholes within the city limits by contacting LexCall at 311.
Concluding Statement
The city is tirelessly working to resolve the pothole issue and is well aware of the inconveniences caused by the same. The Operations Supervisor assured the public that as the weather conditions improve, the city will be able to provide a more permanent solution to this problem by resuming their usage of hot mix asphalt.
