Now that the snow and ice are melting away, making way for the annual spring opening of our roads’ surfaces, Akron’s Department of Public Service is mustering for an immediate onslaught.

Public Works Manager Paul Barnett has gathered forces---this year not only from the highway maintenance ranks that normally do the work--- but also from the street cleaning and parks maintenance divisions.

“We need to put more people on this detail,” said Barnett. “The recent cycle of freezing-thawing-freezing has made for fertile pothole ground.”

Snow and ice removal from the weekend storm concluded this morning, and city crews immediately prepared for pothole duty. Following a plan to systematically patch all of Akron’s dedicated streets, Barnett utilizes his trusty snow and ice-route maps to guide the patching efforts.

As far as materials go, Barnett prefers using what’s called cold patch for this detail. Some of it will last only a few days, some will last much longer and could even be permanent in the right conditions. It all depends on the moisture level in the pothole, whether there is ice below the crater and just how deteriorated the condition of the adjoining pavement is.

Cold patch, Barnett says, is easy to apply quickly---which is of utmost importance---and it usually gets the job done as a sort of street first-aid application.

Deputy Service Director John Valle says primary roads are primary now. “We are patching the main roads right now. Once we’re done with those, we will hit all secondary streets and then cover every residential street in the 62 square miles of this city.”

The city hopes to have all patching done by the end of next week, weather permitting.

Residents of the city of Akron are urged to call the 3-1-1 Call Center to report potholes. They may call 3-1-1 from a home telephone inside the city, or 330 375 2311 from cellular telephones or business phones or online at the Mayor's Action Center.

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