Mahatma: We should rename Little Rock to "Pot Hole City." Chenal Parkway has potholes that haven't been fixed in two years. Our mayor doesn't need a pothole hotline -- he needs to fix them. I need to send the city a bill for front-end alignment. -- Pothole Dodger
Dear Dodger: It was extremely tempting to include your comments and say something like -- "Yeah. What he said!" -- but some weird journalism principle compelled us to lay off the cheap shot and give Mayor Mark Stodola a chance to respond. Which he did, in a friendly fashion, with the help of the Public Works Department people.
Some comments from the city, via the mayor:
• It was a tough winter, causing havoc to the streets. Two or three pothole crews run "all the time," Stodola said. "We certainly patch them when the crews observe them, but as you can see, we receive hundreds of requests from citizens. Please tell your reader to call in the locations. ... Generally, if we have decent weather we can fill a pothole request within 24 hours."
(City's nonemergency number is 311.)
• In calendar year 2013, the city had 1,254 pothole-fixing requests and filled them with 777 tons of asphalt.
• Year to date 2014, there have been 1,134 requests and 438 tons of asphalt consumed, indicating the city will surpass 2013.
• In addition to the pothole crews, the city has a crew that grinds and removes damaged street sections and applies a minor asphalt overlay.
• "Thanks for an opportunity to respond and not cheap-shotting me," the mayor said.
Maybe next time.
Mahatma: What is with the stretch of Van Buren between Markham and Kavanaugh? My car feels like it's on a mogul course. Is this the city's idea of cheap, mini-speed bumps? -- Too Old to Ski
Dear Ski: Apologies for the late reply. So many questions ... so few brain cells.
By now, according to Little Rock's Public Works Department, a crew should have fixed what could be fixed.
The problem explained: Van Buren is a concrete street with an asphalt overlay, a combination that results in problems with joint maintenance. When the underlying concrete expands and contracts, it causes the asphalt surface to crack and fall apart.
In 2004, the street was extensively repaired. The asphalt was taken off, the joints treated with a product that was supposed to postpone the cracking, and the entire street overlaid. Within a year, the cracks were back.
Best solution? Rubble-ize the street and completely rebuild it. (Is rubble-ize a great verb, or what?) This would be a major capital project requiring curb, gutter, drainage work and a new surface. Cost would be significant.
Van Buren isn't on the resurfacing program for this year or next. You, Too Old to Ski, should request it for 2016.
Vanity plate seen around town on a dark blue Mustang: BADNANA. Hey, Nana, what did you do that was so bad? If we did it, too, could we also get a Mustang?
Metro on 07/12/2014