Snow plows may be sitting idle for now, but road crews are as busy as ever because it's prime season for potholes.
Can crews keep up? The short answer is no, at least during this time of year. It's because asphalt companies have yet to open crews can only to do temporary patch work, and if it rains, it can undo what was just laid down.
"It's like off-roading. As you can see, it's all torn up" said Mary Rose Wilson, who lives on the now-very porous Wall Street in Bethlehem. "Tried to patch it up, but as you can see, it's just as bad now."
Potholes result from water seeping beneath the pavement through cracks, freezing and expanding and then thawing again. Crews across the region have been busy in this seemingly never-ending battle, including those in Bethlehem.
"We finally got a break in the weather and we can finally focus on this little bit," said Mike Alkhal, the director of Bethlehem Public Works.
Alkhal said the harsh winter put his department $150,000 over budget, but said that wouldn't affect the city's ability to battle potholes.
Allentown crews are busy, too, but both departments said this is only a temporary fix.
"I think it's going to rain today, so it will undo what we did. It's not very cost-effective to deal with restoration," Alkhal added.
Permanent patching can't start until asphalt companies open. In the meantime, those on the road may want to switch their driving motto to dodge or face the consequences.
"There are a couple in my neighborhood where I had to get out and check the car afterwards to make sure you didn't break anything," said Steve Eberly.
The good news is the asphalt companies could open soon.
from 69News:Home http://ift.tt/1FHQ5T9
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