Here’s why TDOT can’t fix pot holes in the winter
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Are you wondering why TDOT doesn’t fix them?
State engineer Jay Norris says his department takes pot holes seriously.
“We take a look at all pavements. We have an inventory of all pavements. We have a budget to take care of roads in Tennessee.”
Norris says the state has fixed 350 lane miles in the last two years, and it plans to fix 120 more this year. The problem is Hot Mix, which is poured at over 300 degrees, can only be put down when the weather warms up.
“A pot hole is a weak part of a pavement that forms because there is not enough compaction, or there is a base problem, or water seeps down and there’s a freeze thaw cycle, freeze thaw freeze thaw. It is cold. And the hot mix plants are shut down and won’t be open till Spring so we use a cold mix. It is like a band aid. We have to remedy it every few days. In the spring, you’ll see temporary lane closures and then you’ll begin to see barrels for mainline paving.”
Despite complaints, TDOT likes to point out that Tennessee routinely wins awards for the smoothest highways in the nation.
BJ Doughty, PIO, for TDOT supplies Messed UP with the following data:
1. TDOT was awarded the 2008 Smooth Pavement Award from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. This agency basically does research on DOT’s across the nation. It looked at overall smoothness of all interstates in the nation.
2. The National Asphalt Paving Association has given smooth pavement awards to TDOT 6 years in row. Only one other state has done that. This award is project specific though, not the overall interstate system.
3. From a January 2009 press release: ” For the third straight year, Interstate 40 in Tennessee tops the list of best roads in the country according to the nation’s truck drivers. In addition, for the 10th consecutive year truckers rated Tennessee’s overall roadway system as third best in the nation (tied with Georgia) according to a recent survey published in Overdrive Magazine. Overdrive Magazine polls more than 300 truck drivers across the nation each year asking them to rate the nation’s roads and drivers, state by state. The survey includes opinions about the quality of the roads, the smoothness of the riding surface, road markings, construction detour availability and more.
If you would like to report pot holes using the web or your cell phone, check out SeeClickFix below, a web site that reports area problems to the agency responsible for fixing them. Read more
