JACKSON, Wyo. — Springtime means navigating around or even over the Town’s potholes.
Every spring, the Town’s Public Works Streets and Engineering Teams fill between 300 and 400 potholes of various shapes and sizes.
The amount and depth of potholes this year is significant due to the substantial freeze and thaw cycles this past winter and spring. In April, Buckrail readers submitted their worst pot hole stories. One participant shared the expensive cost of running into a Wilson Bridge pothole, “Wilson bridge pothole before they fixed it cost me $13k.”
According to the Town, in-depth work to repair potholes cannot fully begin until warm temperatures remain consistent because fixing them with continued freezing and thawing just collapses the asphalt into a pothole again.
“Work on repairing potholes has started and will likely continue through the month of May across Town, and remember, two of our largest roads, West Broadway and South Cache, are maintained by WYDOT, so that agency is tasked with maintenance and repair of these two main streets,” the Town of Jackson said in a press release.
In addition to potholes, the Town mills and re-paves approximately 50,000 square feet of roads each year. This process, referred to as “patching,” is planned to start on Monday, May 13.
“Patching is essential maintenance, which improves, repairs and addresses damage to street surfaces after harsh winter weather and general wear and tear,” the Town’s announcement states. “Patching generally involves two crews: one doing the grinding and another placing new asphalt down. Patching is expected to last two weeks, which may be impacted by weather.”
During patching and pothole repair, roads and bike lanes might be closed temporarily, and shifts in lanes can occur while various street sections are under construction. The Town will have signage and active flaggers detouring commuters around active construction zones for the safety of bikers, pedestrians, drivers and construction workers. The Public Works’ teams thanks residents for their patience and asks for cooperation and understanding as crews work to maintain the community’s infrastructure.
