Taming the Triad's Road Craters

Sunny days mean road crews are shifting gears around the Triad.

In the Piedmont, the winter of 2014 will be remembered as a seesaw between extremely cold temperatures and unseasonably warm days. According to the National Weather Service in the Piedmont, 15.3 inches of snow fell during the winter season, double what normally happens. In March alone we got 4.7 inches, usually the Piedmont gets less than an inch during that month.

“The moisture, the freeze/thaw cycle, snow, even our salt applications have really taken a toll on our roads,”
says David Munoz, a street section supervisor for the City of Greensboro. According to Munoz, the city's older streets have been the most severely impacted by this winter.

Now, city administrators are asking residents to let them know where the road hazards are located.  Specifically, potholes. They can call  336-373-CITY (2489) or alert the city online.

Munoz says because of the cold temperatures this winter, even when there was no snow, workers could only apply a 'cold-weather' patch over potholes. But the area's unpredictable winter and continued road traffic easily broke them down. Munoz says the most durable way to repair potholes is to use a hot-mix asphalt. “We get the hot mix asphalt from a plant. It's usually between 325-350 degrees.  It's easier to work with.”

Munoz says between the beginning of January to April 2014, Greensboro road crews have filled in 2,409 potholes.  In High Point, crews have filled 644 potholes and in Winston-Salem, 522 have been fixed.