MAHONING VALLEY Pothole watch: under crews' control

The work to smooth area roads continues.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- City, county and state road crews have filled in most of the annoying and sometimes dangerous potholes around the Mahoning Valley, but the fill material sometimes turns craters into minimolehills.
Readers were asked several weeks ago to send in what they thought were the area's worst potholes in the area.
Many of those who responded swore their cars were nearly swallowed by road craters at various locations across the area, and those in charge of road repair swore those holes would be filled quickly.
A quick visit to the areas deemed most notable by readers shows that road crews have been on the job. Where there once were large holes, there are now large black patch marks, showing that the repairs were made recently.
In most cases, older repair work can be seen close to those dark, newly patched areas. The combination can make for roads bumpy enough in some areas to resemble a railroad crossing.
Work isn't over yet
Joe Mastropietro, Youngstown Street Department superintendent, said he does not want to lead anyone to believe his office's job of filling potholes is complete. He said, while the list of streets in need of repair is much shorter, crews have still been out daily making repairs.
"The patch we put in, even the best of it, is only temporary," he said. "The cold mix we put in originally is popping out and now we are filling them with a more permanent mix."
Mastropietro said there is not much that can be done about the bumpy aftereffect on roads that have been repeatedly patched. He said the best remedy for those roads is a complete resurfacing. "Once you get into a situation where there is more patch than original road, it is time to resurface the road," he added.
Mastropietro said his office will make an attempt to "smooth out or even" rough areas where bumps have become a major concern.
Many are filled
Marilyn Kenner, Mahoning County chief deputy engineer, county crews also have gotten the majority of potholes on county roads patched after the harsh winter. There inevitably are, however, some rough roads after the potholes have been filled.
"They [road crews] have been working diligently to get the roads patched and most are patched, but some roads have seen extreme deterioration over the winter," she said.
Kenner said county road crews also will be working to smooth over the bumpier roads.
For those roads that are extremely bumpy, Kenner said the crumpled asphalt will be removed and replaced with an asphalt base. She said the work is not considered repaving, but it will hold the road together until it is repaved.
Kenner explained that many of the bumpy roads will not be repaved until next year because the list of roads to be paved is put together in October and November for work to be done in the warmer months. That list, she said, cannot be altered even after the winter leaves its mess of potholes and cracked roads.
jgoodwin@vindy.com