the Daily Pothole

4,361

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:03:26 -0400

potholes repaired last week

1,434

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:49:55 -0400

potholes repaired on Wednesday, May 8

After our adventures together, it was unfortunately time for...

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:59:00 -0400

On the ferry!

Snack attack.

Sailin' the wide open sea. The crew does a great job.

Getting closer to home.

The Captain let Patty perch on his shoulder as she approached her home borough.

Commissioner Sadik-Khan says farewell to Patty.

Pothole Patty returns to the Staten Island Advance.

Although we're apart for now, Patty will always know how to call me.

After our adventures together, it was unfortunately time for Patty to go home. DOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan volunteered to bring Patty on her chariot home: the Staten Island Ferry! The best ride in NYC - it carries 65,000+ passengers per day. Even better, it’s free and operated by NYCDOT!

I made sure Patty had my number, and asked her to call me any time to report a pothole on the streets of Staten Island, or anywhere else in New York City.

Keep in touch, Patty!

1,184

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:14:00 -0400

potholes repaired on Monday, April 29.

Last week, I taught Patty all about her favorite subject:...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:50:00 -0400

Patty and I inspect the pothole.

The pothole gang cleans the pothole - sweeping and shoveling.

Patty is quite petite!

Hot AC (asphalt cement).

In goes the asphalt

Raking it smoooth.

Seal it up.

Tamp, tamp, tamp. Makes your ride flat and smooth.

Nothing like a freshly-repaired street.

We couldn't resist just enjoying the asphalt together, for a moment.

Last week, I taught Patty all about her favorite subject: potholes. So far, I’ve helped fill more than 218,296 potholes throughout New York City since July 1, 2012.

A friendly pothole gang showed us the ropes. Patty is much shorter in person than I’d imagined - see her perched on top of the broom!

First, the crew swept out the pothole before pouring Hot AC around and inside the hole.

Next, the crew scooped some fresh asphalt out of the truck to fill the hole. I showed Patty that DOT uses the very same material to fill potholes that we use to pave the streets. Some of this was probably on a different street at some point in the not so distant past!

After tamping the asphalt flat (and allowing us to sit on the tamper for a quick moment), the crew added another round of Hot AC to make sure the pothole stays sealed and filled.

In a word: Smooth.

Asphalt like me looks grey or black to the naked eye. But Patty...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:25:00 -0400

Asphalt like me looks grey or black to the naked eye. But Patty was happy to learn that I’m also green!

In the old days, milled asphalt ended up in a landfill. But today, most of the asphalt we mill gets recycled! DOT makes a special product called Recycled Asphalt Pavement, or RAP, that allows us to get the asphalt back out onto city streets.

In many of its paving jobs, DOT uses recycled asphalt, annually incorporating over 400,000 tons of Recycled Asphalt Pavement, eliminating the need for 840,000 barrels of crude oil used in production.

Here, Patty and I are hanging out on aggregate from a milled street - asphalt that will be re-used on a paving site!

Learn more about sustainable street resurfacing.

On Wednesday, Patty and I checked out a DOT paving site, where...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:34:00 -0400

At the controls

We were told that our arms (or lack of) weren't enough to operate DOT's heavy-duty paving machinery.

ON A ROLL(er)!

Watching the street get freshly paved. Together.

Look at them work!

Smoooth.

Good job guys!

On Wednesday, Patty and I checked out a DOT paving site, where we encountered a crew smoothing the streets with fresh asphalt.

Paving comes after milling, and there is often a week or two between milling a street and paving it. The timing helps DOT work as efficiently as possible, so I explained that when Patty sees a milled street she shouldn’t worry. The paving trucks will be by shortly!

Patty was excited to learn that DOT paves 1,000 lane miles of streets each year; that’s the same as paving a road all the way from NYC to Florida!

1,035

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:39:04 -0400

potholes repaired on Monday, April 22

Today, I taught Patty about milling. Milling entails grinding...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:28:24 -0400

You get a good view of all the action from up here!

Patty wanted a photo to send back to her friends of milling in action.

Hanging out on a payloader.

At the controls. Despite our safety vests, we were told we didn't have enough training for this hard work.

Hanging out on a pile of the freshly-milled street. Later on, we heard that this was going to be recycled into new asphalt!

Look at how expertly they carve out the top layer of asphalt.

Nothing is more relaxing than hanging out on a freshly-milled street.

Today, I taught Patty about milling. Milling entails grinding the top layer of asphalt off of the road so that we have a clean slate to pave it smoothly. Usually, paving happens in the warmer months but this year we were able to pave all winter long.

DOT mills over a million tons of asphalt every year in New York City. That’s more than the weight of 170,000 elephants!

Loyal followers, meet Pothole Patty, a friend of the Staten...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:43:00 -0400

The barrel from which we met.

Pothole Patty loved seeing the controls for the asphalt plant.

Monitoring asphalt production

There she goes! Loading up a truck with fresh asphalt.

Ready to smooth streets.

We couldn’t resist getting closer.

Harper Street is pretty impressive!

This conveyer belt brings recycled asphalt product (RAP) and stones up to make fresh new paving material.

I can tell this will be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Loyal followers, meet Pothole Patty, a friend of the Staten Island Advance who helps them track potholes and reports them to us here at DOT.

I was on the job smoothing streets on Staten Island last week, when it happened. I locked eyes with a lovely gnome atop a safety barrel. Off she flew into my arms. (Well, I don’t have arms, but you get the picture.) Once she learned that I had the inside scoop on smoothing streets, she asked if she could spend a little time with us. Of course I said yes!

Before we started our adventure, we made sure to get our safety gear on, since safety is our top priority here at DOT. Unfortunately, reflective vests do not come in gnome sizes, so we improvised.

Our first stop? An asphalt plant.

Every day, DOT fills trucks with asphalt and send them out into the streets to make them smoother for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Patty and I watched my coworkers fill up a truck from the control tower. Before the driver left, he let us sit on the rim to take it all in. It’s a beautiful day to smooth the streets!

Did you know? Last week DOT crews used 16,049 tons of asphalt for paving – that’s the same weight as 4,012,250 gallons of milk!

Tools of the Trade: Lights Towers / Nighttime IlluminationAt...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:35:12 -0400

Tools of the Trade: Lights Towers / Nighttime Illumination

At night, DOT uses light towers and balloon lights, with 1000 watts per bulb, to enhance visibility of the work zone for workers and motorists alike.

In the US, one work zone injury occurs every 16 minutes

This post is part of National Work Zone Awareness Week.

Tools of the Trade: Advanced Warning Signage and FlagsDOT work...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:00:28 -0400

Tools of the Trade: Advanced Warning Signage and Flags

DOT work zones use advance warning signage, and oftentimes flag personnel to ensure a safe environment for road workers, and for motorists.

On average, nearly 600 work zone fatalities occur nationwide every year.

This post is part of National Work Zone Awareness Week.

Tools of the Trade: Temporary Traffic Control DevicesTemporary...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:30:11 -0400

Tools of the Trade: Temporary Traffic Control Devices

Temporary traffic control devices protect motorists, passengers and workers in work zones. Over four out of every five work zone fatalities are motorists and more than 32,000 people are injured each year as a result of motor vehicle crashes in work zones. Pay attention and slow down in work zones!

This post is part of National Work Zone Awareness Week.

Tools of the Trade: Truck Mounted AttenuatorsDOT work zones...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:00:53 -0400

Tools of the Trade: Truck Mounted Attenuators

DOT work zones often include mobile “crash cushions” (Truck Mounted Attenuators). These protect workers from errant vehicles that might intrude into a work zone.

In New York City, nearly two dozen city DOT workers have been injured in work zone incidents since 2009 and seven employees died from crashes in work zones during the past two decades.

This post is part of National Work Zone Awareness Week.

Tools of the Trade: High Visibility ApparelDOT road workers wear...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:43:00 -0400

Tools of the Trade: High Visibility Apparel

DOT road workers wear high-visibility, retro-reflective clothing (including safety vests and jackets). When you see this on the road, slow down!

This post is part of National Work Zone Awareness Week.

New Zone Watch program brings video monitoring to work zones,...

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 18:29:04 -0400

New Zone Watch program brings video monitoring to work zones, enhancing safety for everyone on the roadway and deterring reckless driving through work zones.

DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan was joined by Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, who dedicated funds to the program, to announce the start of Zone Watch at a roadway resurfacing site at Ramapo and Marcy avenues in Staten Island.

http://on.nyc.gov/10i6td5

April 15-19 is 2013 National Work Zone Awareness Week...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 12:22:45 -0400

April 15-19 is 2013 National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW).

Watch this touching video on the death of City Highway Repairer Nicholas (“Nicky”) Antico who was fatally struck by a drunken motorist speeding through a closed work zone in Staten Island in 2005.

Learn more about work zone safety at nyc.gov/workzonesafety.

Workzone Safety

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:11:19 -0400

This week, April 15-19, we will be recognizing National Work Zone Awareness Week.

2,600

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:59:00 -0400

potholes repaired on Wednesday and Thursday 4/3-4/4
That’s 1,300 potholes per day!

1,222

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:54:38 -0400

potholes repaired on Tuesday, April 2