For Immediate Release:
January 31, 2014
Crews are repairing County potholes
Permanent measures taken to repair County roads
FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County Department of Public Works and Engineering crews are out repairing potholes on County Roads.
“There are nine Highway Division crews going out on the County roads every day to look for and repair potholes,” said Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone, liaison to the Department of Public Works and Engineering. “The Highway crews are also responding to reports of potholes from police departments and residents that come in all hours of the day and night.”
Monmouth County utilizes permanent measures to repair the potholes on its more than 1,000 lane miles of road.
The process to fill a pothole is pretty straightforward. The section of road pavement surrounding the hole is first cut with a high speed saw. Then, the asphalt is broken into smaller pieces with a jackhammer and the small pieces are recycled for future use. The hole is then filled with recycled asphalt and flattened with a plate tamper for a permanent repair.
“The asphalt being used to fill potholes on County roads is recycled from other potholes and county road projects,” said Arnone. “This approach results in a tremendous savings for our taxpayers as the County only has to purchase limited amount of asphalt for the thousands of potholes that are filled each year.”
The collected asphalt is put into what is known as an asphalt recycler, or ‘hot box,’ where it is heated overnight and then ready to be used to fill.
Residents can report a pothole on a County road by calling the Monmouth County Highway Division of the Department of Public Works and Engineering at 732-431-6550.
If you come across a pothole on a State highway, you should report it to the NJ DOT at http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/commuter/potholeform.shtm. Potholes on local roads should be reported to the appropriate local municipality.
“We ask that you do not call 911 to report a pothole,” Arnone said. “The 911 service needs to be used for emergencies. Keeping the 911 lines open helps our 911 operators, police and other first responders.”
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