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-----Original Message-----
From: Kennedy, Mike D
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2001 4:59 PM
To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
Subject: RE: [Mpls] Potholes-a-plenty
Mr. Piehl,
Yes, I have noticed the incredible number of potholes this year too. This
was a long and hard winter that took a heavy toll on metro area roads,
including Minneapolis. All road agencies are struggling to deal with the
results; a higher than average number of potholes and other pavement damage.
However, my experience is that the winter of 1996-97 was much worse, but
this year is bad too.
At the apparently great risk of sounding like more "bureaucratic spin", I
will try to answer your concerns.
Pothole repair is an ongoing activity for Public Works, in particular the
Street Department. During the winter season, temporary repairs are made as
needed. Crews must balance these activities with snow and ice control, and
drainage issues as they develop. In the beginning of April, permanent
repair can be started and will continue through the summer. Supervisors
survey their maintenance districts and know where most of the problems are.
We also get notified of problems from other City offices and the public.
Many reports are actually problems with utility cuts and are dealt with in a
different way. In order to be the most efficient and effective, supervisors
prioritize the work and route the crews. If there are problems that require
immediate attention - that is, something that may cause damage, they respond
immediately. Otherwise, they prioritize the work using factors such as
traffic volumes, the general conditions of streets, crew availability and
routing efficiency. But they can't afford to jump around to every pothole
complaint that comes in right away. It would be extremely inefficient.
The permanent repair work will be ongoing throughout the summer season.
Repairs on the higher volume traffic streets will take precedence over work
on the lower volume residential streets. We have 1,050 miles of streets and
400 miles of alleys to maintain. The crews must balance between routine
patching activities, utility cut restoration (we must respond to and perform
pavement restoration on about 4,000 utility cuts each season), seal coating,
crack sealing, alley resurfacing projects, and whatever else comes up along
the way.
As you observed, this was a very tough winter and the pothole problem is
worse than average, but we have only the average resources to deal with it
as usual. Budgets are fixed and we don't have the ability to gear up as
needed. So it will take a while to get through everything.
Funding is of course an issue. But there is a lot of competition for the
available funds. What gets funded, and how much, is a policy decision. And
while we make our pitch, it is up to the policy makers (elected officials)
to make those decisions.
If you were more specific in your comments about the overlay problems or
where your specific concerns are, I could address that. But, generally
speaking, we use quality materials and construction/maintenance menthols
that are consistent with, or above standard industry practices.
I hope this helps you understand the situation a little better. We will
continue to do the best we can given the resources we have. If you would
like to speak about this further, please don't hesitate to give me a call.
Mike Kennedy
Director, Field Services / Street Maintenance Engineer
Minneapolis Public Works
(612) 673-3759
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2001 3:30 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [Mpls] Potholes-a-plenty
Mpls-Issues tip: PLEASE trim/cut the previous message that you are
responding to. The redundant characters make it harder for Digest readers to
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Has anyone noticed the incredible number of potholes appearing this year?
Must
have been a freeze/thaw cycle that was particularly conducive to their
creation
- I don't know!
In the 8 1/2 years that I have lived in Minneapolis, I don't recall potholes
ever being this bad. What is extra annoying is that last year's potholes
didn't
get filled in my area, so this year they are "bigger and badder than ever".
Last year I called public works to ensure that they would eventually address
the
abundant, unwelcome devils, and got the usual bureaucratic spin.
They did do an "overlay" on a nearby street last year, but it has problems
this
year as well. I am not an engineer, but I'm beginning to wonder if it is
more
than just the freeze thaw cycle - perhaps lower quality, short term
solutions to
road surfaces? I'm sure the fact that last year's holes live on doesn't
help.
Does anyone have technical information about road surfaces? Does anyone
know
what it might take to get the city to fill these potholes? I'm not
exaggerating
when I say that passing trucks literally cause vibrations that I can feel in
my
house when they hit the newest breed of monster potholes.
The increased revenues associated with rising property values suggest that
funding is not the issue - unless, of course, it's not allocated where it
needs
to be, which should be an easy fix - I have no knowlege on that subject.....
C'mon Minneapolis - fill the potholes!
David Piehl
Central
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