2 days ago
Cities in New Mexico work to repair potholes
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Warmer months are notorious for a road construction ramp-up in New Mexico, and spring storms this year are bringing out pothole crews from Albuquerque to Santa Fe.
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Albuquerque fills roughly 1,0000 potholes citywide every month, like one on Candelaria Rd. that got patched Monday morning. For the two-man crew, it usually takes just under 30 minutes to repair what can become a big road problem. 'We clean it off, break it out, tack it, burn it, as you saw us with the torch burning it, the tack so it sets. And then from there, we put it on there, tap it, lay it out, and tap it again,' said Francisco Arteaga, crew leader, City of Albuquerque Street Maintenance.
Last month, the city repaired 950 potholes with just two crews, one for the east side and one for the west side. Their work usually comes through 311 requests, something the city tries to get to within 24 to 72 hours of being reported. Last year, Albuquerque filled 14,000 potholes, most coming from severe weather. 'The rain, the snow gets in the crack, freezes. Or if it doesn't freeze, it just breaks it down with these big vehicles that drive here daily, just breaks it up, breaks it up in pieces. It just starts coming back out or breaking up as you see them out,' said Arteaga.
Up north in Santa Fe, the city just started a week-long blitz called Pothole Palooza, where they're quadrupling crews to try to get around 800 potholes filled through Friday. 'It gives us an opportunity to kind of just, you know, tip of the spear, let's get a grip on all the potholes that the winter caused. And then during the rest of the season in the spring and the summer, as we get the monsoons or as we get like heavy rains like we had recently, it gives us an opportunity to kind of keep in check the potholes throughout town,' said Marcos Esquibel, street maintenance supervisor.
With their last palooza just happening three months ago, this second blitz is sooner than usual. 'This does seem a little bit earlier, but yeah, I mean, it's, you know, it needs to get done. So, we're getting it done,' said Esquibel.
In Albuquerque, if crews don't have any requests for repairs, you'll still see them out patrolling the city looking for any work that hasn't been reported.
Both cities ask drivers to be patient and mindful of crews who are expected to be out more often through the summer.
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