DPW Continues Pothole Work

The Department of Public Works is attempting to keep up with potholes around town, while the number continues to grow in the winter weather.

Town Engineer Kris McAloon said that while the warm spell this week has helped stop some potholes, the department has been out daily responding to resident requests and monitoring for additional potholes. He said the cold has made it tough to keep up with every pothole in town.

"We're doing the best we can," he said. "Our guys have been out filling them as best we can."

McAloon said the cold patch material has been allowing the DPW crews to temporarily fill the large potholes that develop so drivers do not have to risk damaging their cars in hitting a large pothole. He said the material is meant as a stop gap solution until a permanent fix can be put into place.

The cold patches are meant to last around a month or two.

McAloon said the DPW can start putting in the permanent hot patches in to the potholes once the weather is consistently above 45 degrees. This will allow the material to be put and not risk ice forming which would render the entire work useless.

Regardless of weather, McAloon said the department cannot currently put the hot patch material into the roads because the plant that produces it is temporarily closed, leaving the town working solely with the cold patch material. The use of cold patch material does come at an increased cost to the town, since the DPW will need to spend money and dedicate resources to tearing the cold patch out of the road in the spring to replace with the permanent patch.