After a long winter with almost 20 snowfalls and weeks of subfreezing temperatures, potholes have appeared on many city streets.
But Public Works Division Director Gary Chmielewski says that for about two and a half weeks, crews of workers have been traversing the city, filling up potholes.
“Anytime we have had a clear day, we’ve done them,” he said.
Chmielewski said that to fill the potholes with hot, longer-lasting filler, the temperature should be above 40 degrees. “But if there was no snow, and the weather wasn’t too bad, we did cold patches,” he said.
The drawback is that the cold patches are only a stopgap measure. In a cold winter like the one this year, those potholes open again, sometimes only days later, according to Chmielewski.
Hot patches should last throughout the year.
Another impediment had been waiting for the city’s vendor, Weldon Asphalt in Kearny, to open.
By March 9, the city had established a pothole hotline, (201) 858-6099, and the wheels were in motion.
“Bayonne residents and business owners are encouraged to report potholes to the city’s DPW department,” said city spokesman Joseph Ryan. “Residents can call the Department of Public Works or email mayors.office@baynj.org.”
“When we started the hotline, we addressed all the hotline calls first,” Chmielewski said.
Crews have been working weekdays, and Saturdays in certain instances.
Chmielewski said the city had received a minimum of 100 calls so far.
More than 1,500 potholes throughout Bayonne have been filled, he said.
Problem areas
Some streets still need attention.
On Linden Street downtown, two potholes between Kennedy Boulevard and Avenue C were filled, but about a half dozen others were not.
One city resident who asked not to be identified said he and others know where the potholes are on the street, and are able to avoid them.
Chmielewski said two problem areas are between 12th and 17th streets on Broadway and on Avenue E on 17th and 18th streets.
The city spent more than $3,000 on pothole filling as of March 27, according to Chmielewski.
“Anytime we have had a clear day, we’ve done them.” – Gary Chmielewski
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“Our guys are doing a good job; we’re trying to get to them as soon as we can,” he said. “And we’ll continue to do so as the season goes on, until we go into paving.”
Mayor James Davis said more needs to be done to repair the city’s thoroughfares.
“I thank the residents for helping us to address this problem, and to continue to improve the quality of life in our city,” Davis said in a statement.
All complaints to the hotline will be addressed within 48 hours, weather permitting, according to Ryan.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.To comment on this story online visit www.hudsonreporter.com.