Wilkes-Barre workers busy patching as pothole season begins

Mar. 1—Welcome once again to pothole season in Wilkes-Barre — and the rest of the northeast region, for that matter.

City Mayor George Brown said residents, workers and visitors can rest assured that city crews are working hard to try to keep up with filling the mini roadway craters caused by the seasonal freeze-and-thaw cycle in late winter and early spring.

In cold-weather states like Pennsylvania, when water seeps into the ground beneath roadways, it cracks the road surface as it expands when it freezes and contracts when it melts, leaving broken asphalt susceptible to further erosion from traffic.

A pox on drivers throughout the northeast, the resulting potholes screw up suspensions and damage wheels on vehicles whose drivers are unable to avoid them.

"Weather-permitting, we have two (Department of Public Works) crews out daily," doing patch work on the holes, Brown said.

Brown said Director of Operations Butch Frati estimates city crews used over 40 tons of cold patch to fill in hundreds of potholes in February.

Cold patch is a cold asphalt material normally designed for temporary road repair that tends to erode when snow plows scrape over it.

"I look forward to when the weather gets warmer and the asphalt companies (that produce hot patch) open back up," Brown said, noting that hot patch provides a more permanent repair that doesn't erode as easily. "Right now, our hands are tied with just temporary patch."

Brown said people who spot potholes can call his office or the Department of Public Works to identify the location, or they can fill out an online form on the city website so lists can be made and supervisors know where to send crews.

Brown said he drives around the city every day before work looking for problem properties and potholes, and he makes his own list to turn over to city Administrator Charlie McCormick, who combines the mayor's observations with those from council members and members of the public who report them. He also keeps an eye out for posts about problem potholes on local social media group pages, he said.

Brown said his staff looked into purchasing a drivable pothole-filling machine that city resident John Suchoski recommended at a council meeting, but the Python 5000 Pothole Patcher costs about $560,000, and additional equipment must be purchased along with it.

"I don't have the kind of money to do that," Brown said. "It's just not feasible right now."

Brown also noted there are over 650 streets and roads in the city. "So, keeping up with pothole is a constant battle," he said.

Contact the writer: smocarsky@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2110; @MocarskyCV