Town of North Hempstead highway crews are hard at work repairing potholes on town roads, the result of the harsh winter that created perfect conditions for producing the craters that all drivers love to hate.
This year, the town’s highway department closed 350 pothole requests from residents between Dec. 1, 2014 and March 18, 2015. In the same period during 2013-2014, 331 requests were closed.
Residents can report these pesky potholes by calling the 311 Call Center or submitting through the Town’s website or the “My North Hempstead” app.
“We are working hard to fulfill our promise to repair pothole requests on town roads within two business days,” said Supervisor Judi Bosworth. “This year residents also have an additional way to report potholes with the ‘My North Hempstead app’, which uses GPS to give our crews the exact location of troublesome potholes. You simply take a photo of the pot hole and press ‘send.’”
The Town’s Highway Department fills pot holes with hot asphalt, which is stored inside one of six “hot boxes” that are pulled behind Highway trucks. The “hot boxes” serve as ovens that keep the asphalt at the proper temperature-about 300 degrees. Highway crews prepare the hole by removing any loose debris, and then shovel in the hot mixture, followed by rolling it with a one-ton steam roller.
“Some of the bigger potholes can take up to a ton of material,” said Highway Superintendent Tom Tiernan.
Tiernan says the Town’s crews use about 48 tons of hot asphalt a day when pothole season is in full tilt. The asphalt is procured from one of several plants on Long Island that manufacture the hot mix.
“Right now we are fortunate to have enough hot asphalt to fill our needs and our potholes,” said Tiernan.
Citizens can also request other services using the “My North Hempstead” app and by calling 311. The “My North Hempstead” app is available on Android and iPhone. Residents who would like more information about the Town’s mobile app or who wish to report potholes and request other Town services can call 311 or 516-869-6311.
