Public Works outlines pothole program, warns cold-mix repairs are temporary

Steve Groen, Public Works Director, told the Public Works Committee that potholes and pavement failures are driven primarily by the freeze-thaw cycle and by moisture getting under pavement. "The freeze-thaw cycle is our biggest contributor," Groen said. He told the committee the streets department maintains about 1,600 lane miles of streets, just over 1,000 lane miles of alleys (about half paved) and 101 bridges, and has 51 employees in the street department, 38 of whom are maintenance workers.

Groen said the department runs two patch trucks and four hot-box trailers in winter, and can operate up to seven winter patch crews. In summer the department runs two to six crews depending on demand. He described the operational difference between cold-mix and hot-mix repairs: cold mix lacks binders and often cannot be compacted to a permanent repair. "You'll see your crew throwing in cold mix into the cracks...an hour later the pothole can be back. It's just not a quality repair," Groen said. He said hot mix and tack oil allow crews to square up and compact permanent repairs when the plant supply and weather permit.

Groen reviewed the city27s Pavement Management Program funding and 2025 preventive maintenance plans. He said the program is supported by the citywide half-cent sales tax, which brings in "just over $11 million a year," and described the 2025 program elements: micro-surfacing (about $1.2 million), UBAS (ultra-thin bonded asphalt surface, just under $1 million) and a crack-sealing program (about $500,000). Groen added that mill-and-overlay and targeted reconstruction come from the same program and that micro-surfacing and UBAS are intended to preserve good pavement: "If we can keep our good streets good, you know, we're only looking at $60,000 a lane mile for micro and $90,000 a lane mile for UBAS."

Groen also reviewed recent pavement condition index (PCI) scores, saying the city's PCI has improved over the past six years and the department will contract to rerun PCI scoring later in the year. He noted staffing and equipment constraints and said last winter27s heavy snow reduced the department's ability to patch earlier in the season; the year-to-date pothole fills through March 10 lagged last year largely because crews were deployed for snow removal.

Council members asked follow-up questions about program costs and pavement management. Groen and other staff said the department is working with engineering on capital improvements that will include small-mill patching and mill-and-overlay to address recurring hot spots (Groen highlighted 37th and Topeka Boulevard and 29th and Topeka Boulevard on the heat map). The department said it will coordinate future work scheduling with the availability of hot mix plants and will return to the committee with more specific cost estimates when requested.