62.0°,
Mostly Cloudy In spring, the potholes also bloom
As the weather warms, repair crews hit the streets
It must be spring when the trees begin to bud, the grass turns green . . . and the smell of hot asphalt fills the air as work crews from Nassau County, the Town of Hempstead and local villages do battle against potholes.
Snowstorms and numerous freeze-and-thaw cycles have combined to create potholes on local streets and roadways ranging from baseball-sized to small craters that can cause vehicular damage, forcing motorists to weave around them to avoid trouble.
When road surfaces crack from heat, snow and rain seep through the openings into the underlying dirt and gravel. The water freezes, expands and pushes out the dirt and gravel, resulting in a hole when the water melts.
Last week, six Town of Hempstead employees with two trucks were busy patching about a half-dozen potholes of various sizes at the intersection of Edward Avenue and Carlyle Street in Woodmere. One worker, who declined to give his name, said simply, “We’re doing the best we can.”
Cedarhurst Mayor Benjamin Weinstock said that the village’s annual budget includes about $40,000 for street repair, including filling potholes. “We ‘cold-patch’ potholes all winter long as they appear,” Weinstock explained, acknowledging that that is a temporary fix. When the asphalt plants reopen, the village spends about a month “making more permanent repairs using hot asphalt and tar,” he added.
The village is responsible for 18 miles of roads within its borders, with the exception of Peninsula Boulevard, Broadway, West Broadway and Rockaway Turnpike, which arel under the jurisdiction of Nassau County.
Like Cedarhurst, Lawrence village officials say they are doing temporary repairs on village streets, and plan to permanently repair the potholes when the asphalt plant reopens. The Public Works and Highway Department crews head out to fix potholes as people call them in, officials said.
The Village of Atlantic Beach spends $5,000 to $10,000 repairing potholes, according to Mayor George Pappas. “We also work with Nassau County for repairs on Park Street, which is a county road,” he said.
Repairs on Nassau County roadways are made within 24 hours of drivers’ reports, county officials said. Complaints are relayed to cities, towns and villages as soon as possible so that highway crews can address them. County employees also patrol designated roadways, looking for problems in the pavement.
“Mother Nature takes its toll on all roadways during the winter months,” Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said in a news release. “My administration has an aggressive program to fill potholes throughout Nassau in order to maintain the highest level of safety for vehicles and pedestrians on county roads.”
To report a pothole issue, call (516) 571-6900 or download the Nassau Now mobile application on your smartphone or mobile device. The app enables users to photograph the hole and send the photo to the county, along with notes on the exact location.
Have an opinion or story to share about potholes? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.
