Photo: Pothole Filling

I think the state is fixing to tear out Chestnut Street between Clifford and Friendship for highway removal. The road is marked where they’ll remove it, and the utilities are all marked. So I wouldn’t expect any potholes to be filled there as the street is being rebuilt soon. But there are still holes between Clifford and Bassett that need filling.

Or, we could just go ahead and remove the pavement and expose the pavers.

Press release from the Mayor’s Office:

March 8, 2011

MAYOR TAVERAS ANNOUNCES CITYWIDE EFFORT TO REPAIR POTHOLES

City takes aggressive action to address the impact of severe weather on city streets

PROVIDENCE – Mayor Angel Taveras and the Providence Department of Public Works are executing an aggressive program to systematically repair potholes throughout the City of Providence.

A combination of extremely cold weather, several severe winter storms, and below-freezing nights with above-freezing temperatures in daytime, has made this year’s “pothole season” especially bad and made combating potholes especially challenging.

Work crews from the Department of Public Works and the Parks Department are working to repair potholes throughout Providence. The trucks are equipped with hot asphalt to make more permanent repairs to roadways as the weather warms.

The DPW is systematically repairing potholes throughout Providence based on daily surveys of roadways throughout the city, in conjunction with individual reports about potholes from residents to the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services.

In recent weeks, work crews have repaired potholes on the following streets: Valley Street, Manton Avenue, Prairie Avenue, Branch Avenue, Admiral Street, Douglas Avenue, Charles Street, Fountain Street, Empire Street, Academy Avenue, Orms Street, Taber Avenue, Gano Street, Waterman Street, Angell Street, Plainfield Street, Potters Avenue, Huntington Avenue, Harris Avenue, Fruit Hill Avenue, Oakland Avenue, Spruce Street, Knight Street, Eagle Street, Canal Street, Sandringham Avenue, Corliss Street, Industrial Drive, Fillmore Street, Glenbridge Avenue and De Pasquale Avenue.

Work crews are scheduled to continue repairing potholes on all main roads in the city before working their way to secondary roads. On Friday, work crews repaired potholes on the streets surrounding the Providence Train Station in order to facilitate traffic flow at the City’s regional train hub.

Permanent repairs cannot be made until the weather warms and the freeze-thaw cycle becomes less of a concern. When the temperature drops below freezing, rainwater and melted snow on the roadway expands as ice in any fissure, opening a crack that will take on more water when the temperature rises. This cycle of freezing and thawing creates potholes quickly.

Potholes also develop when water seeps under the road surface, freezes and forces the surface up, and then melts again – leaving pockets of air that cars and trucks eventually break into, creating more damage.

“Potholes are a serious concern and I will continue to do everything possible to make our streets safe and passable. This winter’s severe weather has been especially hard on our roadways, and we are moving forward with an aggressive and systematic plan to fix potholes in every neighborhood of Providence,” said Mayor Taveras.

Citizens are encouraged to report potholes to the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services at 401-421-7768, or directly via the City of Providence’s website. These reports are valuable in assisting the City to improve road conditions in a timely manner.