News
7/27/2011 - County's New Vehicle Targets Potholes
County's New Vehicle Targets Potholes
Reprinted From "The Daily Journal"
Written by MATT ZAGER Staff Writer
Motorists rejoice. Cumberland County has begun using a new weapon to repair potholes and cracks in county roads. And county Public Works Director Donald Olbrich says the new Dura Maxx mechanized road repairer really delivers a bang for the buck.
It replaces the traditional repair method: two workers with shovels using hot or cold asphalt. Now, one person drives the Dura Maxx,
filling holes and cracks without leaving the cab of the vehicle. The big advantage, Olbrich said, is that repairs last much longer than the old way.
With the old method, workers typically return to a hole at least once soon after filling it with shovels because the repair hasn't held. Even then, repairs generally last only a year to 18 months. But repairs with the Dura Maxx will last five to six years, Olbrich predicted. "Once we've made a repair, we won't have to go back to that same location, unless a pothole starts next to it," he said.
Also, the county now can fill in cracks, which are potholes in their earliest stages, before they get out of control.
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Public Works Director Don Olbrich inspects new patch on Garden Road in Vineland. |
"It will help save our road base for a long period of time -- to help us not have to overlay our road base for a longer time," said Olbrich.
Olbrich did not offer a savings estimate. The county paid about $197,000 for the Dura Maxx and a 1,000-gallon storage tank for the materials used to patch holes.
With the new equipment, Olbrich anticipates less need for overtime to repair holes that present a danger to drivers. "There should be a significant decrease to the expense of filling potholes," he said.
(c) Copyright The Daily Journal, 2011. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
View Photographs Of Cumberland County's New Dura Maxx Pothole Truck