Posted on May 11, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
A cooperative effort between the North Judson Utility Department and the Starke County Highway Department is helping get potholes patched in a more cost-effective way.
Town Superintendent Joe Leszek informed council members this week that utility crews are working to patch potholes around town and they are saving money thanks to a new procedure.
In the past, the department was getting its materials from a supplier out of town. Leszek said they recently made a switch and it’s made a major difference.
Leszek told members, “So far, it’s working out. It’s a fraction of the cost. We’re paying about $30 a ton and we’re not having to drive out to Logansport to pick it up.”
He explained that they started out with about three tons of the material to see how it would work and noted that there were plans to acquire about 7 tons more to continue necessary patchwork.
If you need to report a problematic pothole, contact North Judson Town Hall at 574-896-3340 and select the extension for the Utility Superintendent.
Showing posts with label potholes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potholes. Show all posts
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Highway Officials Cover How Temperature Fluctuation Can Result in Pothole Formation
Posted on February 5, 2019
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
Though it’s likely you’re enjoying this week’s moderate temperatures far more than last week’s frigid weather, unfortunately, those fluctuations can cause ideal conditions for pothole formation.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler shared why these damp, dynamic conditions can result in the unwanted road hazards.
He stated, “Potholes generally form by water on the roadway and it gets into the cracks in the roadway and then during a freeze and thaw the water turns to ice and expands and then contracts.”
Ritzler continued, “That expansion and contraction, over time, causes the structure of the pavement to deteriorate and the asphalt starts breaking up eventually it pops out in what we call holes”
In a past interview with Marshall County Highway Superintendent Jason Peters, he asked drivers to remain alert and understanding when temperatures rise and fall in such a way.
Peters shared, “Be patient this time of year because it’s really hard to maintain them. The big thing is we could fill potholes this week and we could get snow next week so just try to be as cautious as you can and understand it’s just that time of year.”
While temperature fluctuation can result conditions that are ideal for potholes popping up, Pulaski County Highway Supervisor Terry Ruff added that it typically it takes a bit longer than a couple of days for them to form.
Ruff said, “Normally our biggest problem will be later on in the year when it stays warm for quite a spell then the potholes really get bad but we haven’t had a spring thaw yet, this has just a couple of days, so the roads should take it for awhile like this.”
If you come across a pothole on a county road, contact your local highway department so they can send a crew out to address it as soon as possible.
Contact information for each highway department appears below:
Starke County Highway Department: 574-772-3011
Pulaski County Highway Department: 574-946-3942
Marshall County Highway Department: 574-936-2181
Keep in mind that these Highway Departments can only address issues on county roads. Local road problems should be reported to the street supervisor in your town or city.
Meanwhile, potholes found on state roads should be reported to the Indiana Department of Transportation. To inform INDOT about an issue, follow the ‘report a concern’ link at potholes.indot.in.gov.
Author Jacque Ryan, WKVI
Though it’s likely you’re enjoying this week’s moderate temperatures far more than last week’s frigid weather, unfortunately, those fluctuations can cause ideal conditions for pothole formation.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler shared why these damp, dynamic conditions can result in the unwanted road hazards.
He stated, “Potholes generally form by water on the roadway and it gets into the cracks in the roadway and then during a freeze and thaw the water turns to ice and expands and then contracts.”
Ritzler continued, “That expansion and contraction, over time, causes the structure of the pavement to deteriorate and the asphalt starts breaking up eventually it pops out in what we call holes”
In a past interview with Marshall County Highway Superintendent Jason Peters, he asked drivers to remain alert and understanding when temperatures rise and fall in such a way.
Peters shared, “Be patient this time of year because it’s really hard to maintain them. The big thing is we could fill potholes this week and we could get snow next week so just try to be as cautious as you can and understand it’s just that time of year.”
While temperature fluctuation can result conditions that are ideal for potholes popping up, Pulaski County Highway Supervisor Terry Ruff added that it typically it takes a bit longer than a couple of days for them to form.
Ruff said, “Normally our biggest problem will be later on in the year when it stays warm for quite a spell then the potholes really get bad but we haven’t had a spring thaw yet, this has just a couple of days, so the roads should take it for awhile like this.”
If you come across a pothole on a county road, contact your local highway department so they can send a crew out to address it as soon as possible.
Contact information for each highway department appears below:
Starke County Highway Department: 574-772-3011
Pulaski County Highway Department: 574-946-3942
Marshall County Highway Department: 574-936-2181
Keep in mind that these Highway Departments can only address issues on county roads. Local road problems should be reported to the street supervisor in your town or city.
Meanwhile, potholes found on state roads should be reported to the Indiana Department of Transportation. To inform INDOT about an issue, follow the ‘report a concern’ link at potholes.indot.in.gov.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
Starke County Highway Department Working to Patch Potholes
Posted on April 5, 2018
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI
The Starke County Highway Department is working throughout the county to address pothole issues.
Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the Starke County Commissioners this week that they are trying to keep up with the potholes.
“We have a lot of potholes from the freeze/thaw cycle because of the excessive rain. It’s the perfect weather for potholes. We’ve been hitting it as hard as we possibly can. We’ve used 750 tons of patch. That’s 1.5 million pounds that has been shoveled out of the back of trucks. Hopefully, we’ll be caught up on these potholes and repairs by mid-summer. Please just be patient and if you notice a pothole call us and we’ll be right on it. We can’t get to everyone immediately, but we’re doing the best we can with that,” explained Ritzler.
Ritzler added that the summer road program will be adjusted due to flood damage.
“How much we do is dependent on when we get reimbursement for this, but we can cover all of the repairs for this and the repairs for the transmission lines in our current budget. It will move the list around a little bit, but we’ll just have to re-prioritize.”
Ritzler also mentioned that the railroad marking upgrades will be done starting in May. The county received a grant for the updates. Traffic Control Specialists will be completing the work.
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI
The Starke County Highway Department is working throughout the county to address pothole issues.
Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the Starke County Commissioners this week that they are trying to keep up with the potholes.
“We have a lot of potholes from the freeze/thaw cycle because of the excessive rain. It’s the perfect weather for potholes. We’ve been hitting it as hard as we possibly can. We’ve used 750 tons of patch. That’s 1.5 million pounds that has been shoveled out of the back of trucks. Hopefully, we’ll be caught up on these potholes and repairs by mid-summer. Please just be patient and if you notice a pothole call us and we’ll be right on it. We can’t get to everyone immediately, but we’re doing the best we can with that,” explained Ritzler.
Ritzler added that the summer road program will be adjusted due to flood damage.
“How much we do is dependent on when we get reimbursement for this, but we can cover all of the repairs for this and the repairs for the transmission lines in our current budget. It will move the list around a little bit, but we’ll just have to re-prioritize.”
Ritzler also mentioned that the railroad marking upgrades will be done starting in May. The county received a grant for the updates. Traffic Control Specialists will be completing the work.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Warming Weather Means Preparations To Fix Potholes
Published: March 14, 2015
By: Tyler Maffitt, WKVI
The weather has been warming over the last few days, and crews at the Starke County Highway Department have transitioned to their springtime activity of filling potholes.
Workers were out on Friday using what’s called a warm mix to fill imperfections in the roadway. In addition to potholes, wash-outs – or a pothole on the edge of a roadway – have also been cropping up.
Highway Department Superintendent Rik Ritzler says this year has been an easy transition.
“It’s kind of gradual. A week or two,” says Ritzler. “The snow kind of slowed down on us and we were still doing it, but we were able to slowly transition into potholing. Some years, it’s kind of: bam, right away. But this year, we had a little time to transition so it’s been pretty good.”
The Starke County Highway Department says it plans to be filling potholes for the next couple of weeks.
Additional potholes may become more present as the weather continues to warm.
Starke County does not apply salt to roadways in winter as liberally as the state or other agencies – which can help prevent potholes. Ritzler says they’ve been asking residents to alert them when potholes are present.
“We have been getting some complaints, but not too bad,” says Ritzler. “For the most part people are, you know, thankful that we respond pretty quickly to them and it hasn’t been that bad.”
The Highway Department says that because water from the snowmelt has not entirely evaporated, there can be potholes present that could present dangers to motorists.
If residents locate a pothole, they’re asked to call the highway department for repairs.
By: Tyler Maffitt, WKVI
The weather has been warming over the last few days, and crews at the Starke County Highway Department have transitioned to their springtime activity of filling potholes.
Workers were out on Friday using what’s called a warm mix to fill imperfections in the roadway. In addition to potholes, wash-outs – or a pothole on the edge of a roadway – have also been cropping up.
Highway Department Superintendent Rik Ritzler says this year has been an easy transition.
“It’s kind of gradual. A week or two,” says Ritzler. “The snow kind of slowed down on us and we were still doing it, but we were able to slowly transition into potholing. Some years, it’s kind of: bam, right away. But this year, we had a little time to transition so it’s been pretty good.”
The Starke County Highway Department says it plans to be filling potholes for the next couple of weeks.
Additional potholes may become more present as the weather continues to warm.
Starke County does not apply salt to roadways in winter as liberally as the state or other agencies – which can help prevent potholes. Ritzler says they’ve been asking residents to alert them when potholes are present.
“We have been getting some complaints, but not too bad,” says Ritzler. “For the most part people are, you know, thankful that we respond pretty quickly to them and it hasn’t been that bad.”
The Highway Department says that because water from the snowmelt has not entirely evaporated, there can be potholes present that could present dangers to motorists.
If residents locate a pothole, they’re asked to call the highway department for repairs.
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