Frustrated by potholes?

You’re not alone. So are City officials, who say our infrastructure problem is further exacerbated by increased costs, budget reductions and deferred maintenance.

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The pothole division of the City of Dallas has four service centers geographically responsible for the four sections of town, divided by the crossings of Interstates 30 and 45. With nine repair trucks (five of them new) shared by the centers, the two-man crews can usually repair only 10 to 12 potholes per day.

“We have 280 paid positions for our division, but not all of them are filled,” said Frank Valtierra, the operation manager for the City’s pothole division, “and we hope there will be no future freezes on hiring.”

Valtierra, who lives in East Dallas, says the department uses local jail inmates on work release programs to ease the crunch.

Potholes seem to pop up over night. As they become larger, they begin to multiply, creating a curious path that looks like someone in the neighborhood has been walking their pet dinosaur.

The real story, though, is that potholes are caused by a variety of reasons, mostly related to water and weight. Precipitation, shifting, freezing and thawing, underground water leaks, poor construction and repair, break-ins from excessive traffic, and heavy loads from trucks are equal culprits.

Potholes are not only irritating, but they are costly, sometimes causing out-of-pocket expenses for motorists who experience blow-outs, shock absorber and front-end alignment damage. Potholes can also be dangerous when the sometimes hasty navigation of their path causes accidents.

The two-man crew of the H.A.R.T. (Heated Asphalt Repair Truck) Pro Patch Patrol of East Dallas and Lake Highlands has turned pothole repair into art. On a recent job on Columbia Avenue, the men cut out the “alligator cracks” of the two large potholes, removed broken asphalt and applied a coat of hot tar on the smooth surface. Once cooled, they filled in the five-foot square with an ample amount of fresh asphalt, which they flattened by hand and machine to match the existing road surface. The process took about 90 minutes.

“We carry and use about 4,000 pounds of asphalt a day,” says crew foreman Joe Campbell, described by his supervisor, George Daughtery, as the “best in the business.”

But no matter how efficient the repair crew, there simply isn’t enough staff, equipment and money to make us a pothole-free society, says Valtierra. There are, however, steps that individuals and neighborhood associations can take to help with pothole improvements in problem areas.

  • Invite your public works director to speak to your community group.
  • Find out how street maintenance is being managed in your neighborhood. What is the budget and how does it compare to what is actually needed?
  • Determine with officials whether truck routing ordinances are needed, or whether regulations governing utility cuts need to be strengthened.
  • Inquire about plans for implementing a pavement maintenance system.