SANFORD — So, you’re driving along and all of a sudden, bang. The car lurches a little, and depending on the severity of the crater in the roadway, your back may twinge a bit.
Potholes. They’re the bane of motorists ”“ and public works crews don’t like them very much, either.
In Sanford, the Public Works Department is anticipating the arrival of a new machine that will help smooth out the roadways for motorists and help prevent further damage to the road itself.
The City Council on Tuesday approved the purchase of what is called a “Comprehensive Pavement Repair Unit.” All told, including the cost to get it here from the manufacturer, Bergkamp, in Salina, Kansas, the unit will cost $124,660.
Public Works Director Matt Hill said the unit will be worth it. He said the new equipment will allow the city to use hot mix instead of cold patch. He said the new machine, which will be operated by two people, will dispense hot mix after a pothole is excavated and dried. The worker uses jackhammers to carve out a neat square around the pothole, the area is dried with a special dryer and the hot mix is dispensed. The worker rakes it, and the on-board compactor will tamp it down. Voila, it’s patched.
It’s an all-in-one, self-contained unit, said Hill.
Sanford is believed to be the only municipality in the county to have invested in such a unit, though the Maine Department of Transportation garage in North Berwick uses one, he said.
Hill said Sanford has been using cold patch, which costs about $125 a ton, for patching year-round, even though it is primarily meant to be used to patch frozen potholes in the middle of winter.
Hot mix is substantially cheaper, at $62 a ton, said Hill, and any left at the end of the day can be reheated and used again.
Hill said he plans to put two people from the 12-person highway crew on the machine full-time throughout the summer.
“I want to get the city back in shape,” he said.
“When can we have it?,” asked Mayor Tom Cote, perhaps envisioning complaints about potholes taking a nosedive, once the unit is in service.
“Within 60 to 90 days,” said Hill.
The vote to purchase the unit was unanimous.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com
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