Asheville Public Works Supervisor Dennis Brank (operating the backhoe)
rakes fresh asphalt into a pothole
while crew member Mark Allen levels the material
during a recent break in the winter weather.
Klunk-klunk! The harsh winter weather has taken a toll on City of Asheville streets, producing a fresh crop of potholes. You may have encountered a few on your own street or as you travel to work or school.
It’s a cyclical issue and one the City of Asheville Streets Division addresses regularly.
“The freeze-thaw cycles contributes to potholes because water expands when it freezes,” said Streets Division Manager Chad Bandy. “It’s an ongoing issue, part of street maintenance.”
The good news: City Streets Division crews are addressing the potholes. In fact, in a year the City fills around 4,400 of them.
The Streets Division has five crew members trained on pothole and larger street patch work year-round. The City allocates $100,000 in materials per fiscal year as a preventative maintenance line item from the general fund. This pays for the asphalt needed to make the repairs.
The City is continually working to improve our streets! Street resurfacing projects paid for under the voter-approved bonds and City-appropriated Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) improve our roadways in a more comprehensive way. Some examples include:
- Bond-paid resurfacing going on now through spring on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. This is a total repaving of that street and its sidewalks that includes under-road stormwater improvements as well.
- Under CIP, Chestnut Street is slated to be repaved this year. Chestnut Street from Broadway to Montford Avenue is under contract to be paved and the work is scheduled to begin this spring. Also, a contract to repave Chestnut Street from Broadway to Charlotte Street is under review. The work on that section is expected to happen this summer.
“Help is on the way in the form of resurfacing various streets throughout the City,” said Public Works Director Greg Shuler. “The recently pass bond and capital funds will go toward the repaving once the warmer weather gets here in the spring. We will continue to make repairs year-round as the need arises.
How to report a pothole
Download the Asheville App on your cellular device or visit Asheville App online to make a service request. On this site you can briefly say what the issue is, where it is and upload a photo, if you wish. You can report an issue, such as a tree down or a pothole, by name or anonymously.
You can track the issue on the app too, and see where the issue has been referred or the work is in progress or completed.