FAIR OAKS- It’s that time of year again–pothole repair season. Roadcrews throughout the region are busy repairing roadways in preparation for the busy summer travel season and Mid-Hudson News caught up with New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) workers on Route 17 to see first-hand the never-ending battle they fight to repair potholes.
“A lot of times what we see is the age of the roadway as it begins to crack over time,” said DOT Regional Director Lance McMillian. “Once the crack starts, moisture will get into that crack and then we go through the freeze and thaw cycles prevalent in spring and sometimes the fall that exacerbates the degradation of that area. With constant traffic along with a heavy dose of rainwater in the spring, all of a sudden we have a good old pothole.”
Repairing our highways is not as easy as it may seem. Workers have to deal with extremely hot weather, hot asphalt, and the smoke associated with paving. Although large machines are used to repair the roadways, a lot of the work is done by hand. In addition to hard work, highway workers have to e concerned about their safety with the increase of distracted driving and impatient drivers. With an elevated risk to their safety, State Police often patrol work zones to enforce their reduced speed limits.
“Safety is our top priority,” said Heather Pillsworth, Public Information Officer for DOT. “Distracted driving and folks speeding through work zones is a major issue for us.”
DOT is responsible for maintaining and operating the 38,581 lane miles of state-owned highways.
