State working on potholes, $1.3 million and counting

Governor Peter Shumlin said today that state highway crews are out in force across Vermont to tackle one of the worst pothole seasons in memory, noting that the Agency of Transportation has already spent about $1.3 million on pothole patching so far this year, exceeding the five-year annual average.
‘This year’s heavy snowfall and spring rains created a bumper crop of potholes across the state,’ Gov. Shumlin said at a news conference in Middlesex with a highway road crew. ‘Highway crews are working hard to keep up with the never ending sea of potholes on all of Vermont’s paved roads. We will continue to patch holes and do what we can to keep the big ones from coming back. Crews have used 5,500 tons of cold patch so far this year, exceeding the five year average by 30 percent.
These costs come on the heels of an already-expensive winter road season. For the season:
· Last year’s total winter expenditures: $14 million
· FY 11 actual winter expenditures, to date: $22.1 million
· Last year’s total salt usage: 57,000 ton
· FY 11 actual salt usage, to date: 96,600 ton
Most potholes are formed due to fatigue of the paved road surface. As fatigue fractures develop they typically interlock in a pattern known as "alligator cracking." The chunks of pavement between cracks are worked loose and may eventually be knocked out of place by passing vehicles. The formation of potholes is exacerbated by spring weather and the numerous freeze/thaw cycles.
In the spring, district forces try to clean out the hole with a broom or shovel because excess debris and water will keep the patch from bonding well. Cold patch (a mix of aggregate and emulsion) is shoveled into the hole and compacted in place. There are problems with spring patching, including the reality that passing cars can pull parts of the patch out.
Within the next month, however, the paving plants will open for the season and serious paving and reconstruction work will begin. The state plans to spend $4 million on leveling to address about 50 miles of state roads; $65 million on overlay and rehab work to address 185 miles of interstate, state and Class 1 Town Highways around the state; and $45 million on large reconstruction projects, including US 2 in Cabot and Danville, US 7 in Brandon, the Bennington Bypass and Barre City’s Main Street project.