Posted: Thursday, 11 March 2010 5:22AM
NJ Department Of Transportation Launches Statewide Pothole Repair Campaign
Dan Alexander Reporting
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The pothole can be a driver's archenemy -- and thanks to the winter we've had, there are a lot of them on New Jersey roadways. That's why the state Department of Transportation will be out in force over the next couple of months, filling the road craters as quickly as they can.
The consequences from hitting a pothole can get pretty expensive for Garden State drivers. Auto body shops throughout New Jersey have had customers coming in, asking to fix such vehicle ailments as flat tires, broken wheels and alignment problems.
Tim Greeley, a spokesman for the DOT, says they're determined to keep the roads as safe as possible for motorists this spring. "We're committing over 400 employees and 62 crews statewide, filling and repairing potholes." He adds that it will be no small task. "We anticipate filling over 150,000 potholes in New Jersey."
Greeley says that this should be an expensive venture, as well. "Last year, the department spent roughly $2.2-million, using a little bit less-than 5,000 tons of our patch material, filling around 120,000 potholes. Given the increased number that we've seen thus far this winter, and based on winters' and springs' past, we would think that the DOT is going to be spending upwards of $2.5-million to $3-million dollars."
Though it may not appear that way, due to the sheer volume of potholes this year, the DOT has already been hard at work filling the road craters, according to Greeley. "We've already filled about 45,000 potholes statewide since January." He adds that those were mainly done using a temporary, "cold weather" patching agent, and that those potholes will be addressed more permanently this spring.
Greeley says the public's help is encouraged to assist in defeating the pothole problem. Residents have two options: one is by logging into the DOT's web site at state.nj.us/transportation, and clicking on the link to report a pothole. "You'll be able to pinpoint exactly where that pothole exists, on which highway, around which mile marker, and in whichever town," Greeley says. "We also have our 1-800-POTHOLE hotline, where motorists or concerned citizens can call that number, and they'll be able to do the same thing."
In 2009, New Jersey residents reported roughly 15,000 potholes to the DOT online, and about 4,000 potholes using the telephone hotline.
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