Home » Watch that Pothole! Where to call and who will fix it

Watch that Pothole! Where to call and who will fix it

by Mary Galioto
Spring is around the bend, the snow is melting, and … our roads look like the face of the moon. Mercer County is on the scene filling potholes left and right so MercerMe asked a few questions of Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes. Here’s what we found out!
What to do if I see a pothole?
Call the Pothole Hotline at (609) 530-7510. 
[quote_box_right]If you are not certain the road in question is under County jurisdiction, please refer to the list of County Roads for clarification.  If the roadway that you report is not under our jurisdiction, we will forward the information to the proper authority for their action. Thank you for helping us keep our county roadways in good repair![/quote_box_right]
How many complaints or calls to the “Report a Pothole” number on the county website have we received so far this year?
136 service requests for pothole repair have been logged since the beginning of the 2014-2015 winter storm season (as of February 26, 2015). 
 
How does the county go about fixing potholes – temporary fixes now or wait until spring? If temporary fixes, what does that entail?
The Highway Division has two separate methods to address pothole repair as needed during the winter storm season: (1) “throw and roll” – filling with cold mix asphalt) by hand shovel with vehicle tire compression, and (2) squared cut out with jack hammer centered on pothole, filled with cold mix asphalt by hand shovel, and compression by plate compactor or roller. These are temporary solutions. We use hot mix asphalt when it is available for a more permanent fix. 
 
Is the pothole situation worse so far this year than usual?
On our county roads, no, it’s actually not worse than usual.  For the entire 2013-2014 winter storm season, the total number of service requests for pothole repair was 486. We do not expect to exceed this total this year.
 
What causes potholes?
Potholes are caused by moisture penetrating the asphalt (on the surface, such as rain, or from the subsurface, such as groundwater drainage) agitated by the seasonal freeze and thaw cycle.
 
How much does county budget/spend annually on pothole repairs?
Do we know how much has been spent so far this year?
There is no specific budget for pothole repair. It is simply falls among our general road repairs and maintenance.

And please remember how important it is to be mindful of the road crews working on road repairs during this this  annual springtime task.

 

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