Potholes are a "deep felt problem," according to the mayor
“I think it’s safe to say that the topic that is foremost in the minds of Santa Feans today is potholes,” Mayor Alan Webber said at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. He then laid out the city’s plans to address this serious problem.
“The response to the pothole epidemic is: We hear you,” he said.
Deferred maintenance is the biggest reason for potholes, according to Webber, who also cited inclement weather.
“We’ve had a significantly different weather experience this winter, and part of that amounts to the pothole eruption that we’re dealing with,” the mayor said during the “matters from the council” portion of the meeting.
Because the weather has cleared up, crews are now using hot mix, a more permanent fix for potholes than the cold mix that has been employed thus far this year. Webber said he hopes most of the potholes that have been brought to the city’s attention will be fixed over the next few weeks.
The mayor said $86,000 has been set aside for overtime specifically to fill potholes, and to hire contractors to fix sections of road with multiple potholes. Crews will be working 10-hour days Monday through Friday for the next four weeks to fill potholes, according to Webber.
“As of March 24, there were 76 potholes on our list,” the mayor told a mostly empty room and a video camera. “We are filling about 10 a day, but every day the list grows as we get more potholes reported, which is good. We want to do it all now while we’ve got the resources allocated and the crews ready to go to work.”
Crews are also fixing holes they spot, not just those that are reported.
“If anybody is watching or listening or taking notes, and you have a favorite or least favorite pothole you would like to report, the number is 505-955-6949, and we will take your request,” the mayor said.
About $6.5 million from gas tax revenue will also be used over the next few months to repave roads and avoid future deferred maintenance issues that could result in more potholes, the mayor noted. He added that some money from recent New Mexico Department of Transportation allocations will also be used for street maintenance.
