16 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • MARCH 2019
POINT OF VIEW
POTHOLE PRIORITY
ROAD REPAIRS UNDERWAY
By LAURA CURRAN
Nassau County Executive
Clear skies, green lights, music’s up,
then suddenly, "Bam!" the rim cracks,
your tire blows — you’ve hit a pothole.
Everywhere I go, people ask about
road repairs. As winter wears on and
peak pothole season is upon us, my
team has put together an aggressive
plan to get Nassau’s long-neglected
roads back in top-notch condition.
In 2019, the Department of Public
Works (DPW) will repave a total of
175 lane miles — that’s a 130 percent
increase since 2017.
With more than 1,500 county-owned
lane miles in Nassau, we have a lot of
work to do. We began a pilot pothole
program in fall 2018 for short-term
resurfacing. Rather than filling potholes
individually, our resurfacing
strategy aims to mill and fill larger
patches of roadway — a quicker,
more efficient, and safer option that
prepares us for our long-term resurfacing
program.
The pilot program has proven to be
successful and so we plan to significantly
expand it in 2019. In 2018, we
filled a total of 60,057 potholes, paved
87 lane miles (up 20 percent from 2017),
and deployed seven three-man crews a
day during peak pothole season.
The county recently purchased six
new hot boxes used to keep asphalt hot
while on the road. Without hot boxes,
the crews must make frequent trips
to an asphalt plant in order to get hot
asphalt, wasting time and resources.
We are also tightening up our contracting
process. DPW historically
bid individual $4 million to $5 million
resurfacing contracts. This year,
they’ll bid an extensive $15 million
road resurfacing contract to solicit
interest from new firms capable of
delivering large projects. This will
also expand our vendor pool and get
us a better bang for our buck.
Why do these hazardous road craters
seem to be multiplying every year? Potholes
begin to develop when snow and
ice melt. The resulting water then seeps
beneath the pavement through cracks
caused by the wear and tear of traffic.
As the temperatures cool to freezing
at night, the water becomes ice and
expands below the pavement, forcing
the pavement to rise. As the weight of
traffic continues to pound on this raised
section and the temperatures once
again rise above freezing, a shallow
divot occurs under the surface and the
pavement breaks, forming a pothole.
DPW contractors will begin permanent
repaving in the spring when
the weather breaks. They’ll continue
with temporary resurfacing efforts
throughout the winter if and when the
weather is warm enough to accommodate
the laying of asphalt.
See a pothole? Please report it to
516-571-6900.
"Peak pothole season is upon us."
MARTIN A. GLEASON FUNERAL HOME LLC.
CARING FOR OUR FAMILIES
FOR OVER 100 YEARS
SINCE 1913
Our dedicated professionals are available to assist you any time, day or night,
to ensure that you and your family receive personalized attention, comfort and care.
Pre-planning and at-need arrangements may be made in our home or yours.
Bayside 36-46 Bell Boulevard, Bayside N.Y. 11361 • 718 428-2210
Flushing 149-20 Northern Blvd., Flushing N.Y. 11354 • 718 359-6300
Whitestone 10-25 150 Street, Whitestone, N.Y. 11357 • 718 359-1122
OUR LOCATIONS HAVE LARGE PARKING LOTS • OUR PREMISES ARE FULLY ACCESSIBLE
Family Owned and Operated
Active members of many community organizations including: Knights of Columbus, Bishop’s Coat of Arms Club,
Ancient Order of Hibernians, Flushing Rotary , First Friday Club
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
