The City of Jackson Streets Department says they are responding to calls to fill potholes as fast as possible – they just need residents to report the potholes when they see them.
“If they get [the call] within that day, probably within 30 minutes to an hour,” Street Department Director Johnny Weddle said, “If they are out north and get the call, they can go straight there to get that request, because we’re trying to take care of those requests as soon as possible.”
Weddle says there are three solutions to filling a pothole on city streets: a patch, a repair, or a repavement. Most of it also has to be done during the spring and summer, since that is when the asphalt plants are open.
While workers patch potholes with extra asphalt, the city’s infrared repair machine heats a square of asphalt to more than 1,200 degrees. The process melts the asphalt and allows it to be manipulated and smoothed back out.
“Sometimes we have to add some, mix back with it. But most of the time we don’t because it’s actually reheating the whole surface. Bring them back to life to make it a lot easier,” Weddle said.
On Saturday, May 20, city workers patched or repaired more than 1,000 potholes. However, Weddle says many of the reports they get are inaccurate or vague. They also get a lot of complaints for state routes, including North Parkway, Highway 45, North Highland Ave., and others.
“Just be patient with us. We are running 10 hours a day,” Weddle said, “And like I said, most of them are going to be a bandaid until this machine gets there to actually do a permanent fix or until that street is actually resurfaced. We have a lot of streets that are going to be resurfaced this year.”
To report a pothole, download the 311 app, or call 311 on your phone.
Julia Ewoldt, julia@jacksonpost.news
