After the winter storms passed, Algood Public Works has been working to repair the roads battered by the elements.
Workers do their best to fix up high-traffic areas like Main Street. But Public Works Director Walt Bradshaw said the department relies on reports from citizens to know which areas need care.
“If they have a pothole, they can call City Hall and talk with the ladies up front and they will make a work order and we will come out and repair it as soon as we can,” Bradshaw said.
Driving most of the damage is salt and water. Bradshaw said as the salt melts the ice, the mixture seeps into the roads, freezes and expands. That opens up the asphalt and forms a pothole. Snow plows can then peel up the surface even more, Bradshaw said, exacerbating the problem.
Bradshaw said, for now, Public Works employees use a temporary “cold patch” until a more permanent fix later in the spring.
“We have to go out there and inspect the size of the pothole,” Bradshaw said. “We don’t really know until we get there. They just see a pothole. They can’t really determine how big it is. They just say, ‘it’s gonna bust my tire.’ That’s the main one. They’re worried about getting their tires busted or their wheel bent.”
Newer roads can handle the salt a lot better than older, cracked roads, according to Bradshaw. But beyond more asphalt, there is no clear long-term solution for damage caused by wintery weather.
“There’s really nothing you can do for it because whenever we put out salt… pavement cracks over time and it’s expensive,” he said.
To report a pothole in Algood, call (931) 537-9545.