While the roads in #MiddletownRI might be better than some other spots across the area, they still need help. That's why the Town Council recently signed off on the purchase of two new machines to help take care of road work more "in house."
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
POTHOLE REPAIR PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS ON THE WAY
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (FEBRUARY 21, 2024) – Middletown is going more high tech with its pothole repair program.
The Town Council recently approved the purchase of two new Cimline machines to make fixing and sealing potholes and other imperfections in local roads that much easier — and lasting.
Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown said there were several benefits to the equipment purchase. For one, it would allow the Department of Public Works to handle more of the pothole repairs “in house” using town staff instead of contracting such services out. That should also result in savings to taxpayers and allows the town to respond to such repairs more nimbly and frees up time for other pressing work.
As importantly, Brown said the Cimline machines provide a permanent, lasting repair of a pothole instead of using cold patch, which often needs to be refilled — sometimes daily in problem spots.
“This is a really good idea,” council President Paul M. Rodrigues said. “The state (Department of Transportation) did East Main Road last year and it’s done very well and it’s permanent."
Money for the machines is coming out of the town’s unused snow removal line item from this winter, so it won’t cost taxpayers anything additional in the Fiscal 2024 budget. Brown said the cracksealer will pay for itself in one fiscal year.
“We have a great public works department and they want to work hard and we want to give them the right tools,” Brown said. “We operate three tractors with snow blowers and we have a lot more community access to our sidewalks. The other day I drove down Aquidneck Avenue the day after the storm and there were seven people walking on the sidewalk. People will walk on sidewalks if the snow’s been cleared and it’s safe.”
Councilor Barbara A. VonVillas acknowledged that she was not an “expert” about how roads are built or maintained, far from it. But as someone who drives “off island” at least three times a week, the roads in Middletown are in far better shape than many other spots around The Ocean State.
“The roads in Middletown are much better, they’re in better condition and kept up,” VonVillas said. “I think they (Middletown public works and RIDOT) deserve some credit in Middletown.”
Data from the American Automobile Association (AAA) showed that potholes aren’t just an issue locally either.
The AAA “Pothole Damage” report indicated that about two thirds of all United States drivers were “concerned” about potholes on area roadways. This number surged to 74 percent for drivers in the Northeast.
The study also found U.S. drivers paid more than $15 billion in vehicle repair bills connected to pothole damage over the past five years.
Over the last couple years, Middletown has used contractors to take care of many of its pothole problems.
However, Brown said with the Cimline cracksealing and dura patcher machines, that outsourcing won’t have to take place like before.
The way the two-person dura patcher works, it allows a two-person crew to first clean out the pothole with a dose of high volume, low pressure air.
Next, the team prep the spot with a tacky material so when the patch material is injected into the hole, it stays in place for years. From there, a light coating is applied to the area and it’s then reopened to traffic minutes later.
To read the complete memo from Brown, visit https://www.middletownri.com/DocumentCenter/View/11564/Paving-Program-Improvements online.
To submit a work request for a pothole or other non-emergency item, go to https://mdl.town/Helps online. The way the application works, it allows you to not only make a work request, but follow it through the town process from start to completion.
“We did a lot of research here and one of the selling points of the Cimline machines was they allow you to patch in almost any weather condition and get rid of the need for our poor performing patches, which can be quite labor intensive,” Brown said. “From everything we’ve heard and seen, this is a good investment that will provide a solid return for years to come.”
Document Center: https://www.middletownri.com/DocumentCenter/View/11565/NYCU-Pothole