Alachua County to double pothole repairs 

Public works employees repairing a road
A county crew repairs a road.
Courtesy of Alachua County

The Alachua County Public Works Department announced Thursday that it will be able to repair twice the number of potholes the department currently fixes in a day.  

The county purchased two new, 4-ton Falco asphalt trailers. The new trailers can be pulled by a standard pickup truck.  

Previously, Alachua County only had trailers which could be pulled by the F750 patch truck, which required a CDL license. Now, more county employees will be able to work on the crew that repairs potholes.  

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“Having two new trailers will enable the department to organize two independent crews, which can work simultaneously in different parts of the county, doubling the number of potholes repaired daily,” a county press release said. “The trailers are self-contained and come with everything needed to repair potholes, including a built-in burner to keep the asphalt warm and a small roller to compact it once it’s placed in the hole.” 

The state of roads in the county is a cause for frequent complaints from citizens after decades of deferred maintenance have left roads in poor condition. Last year the county reported a backlog of $408 million in road repairs.  

Last year Alachua County switched from a “worst first” approach to road repairs to a pavement management system that prioritizes where the county can get the most for its money.  

“The new pavement management system, along with the financing plan, will begin the long climb to improve the county road system,” Ramon Gavarrete, the county’s director of public works, said in a 2022 interview.  

Alachua County reported that it bought the new asphalt trailers with gas tax funds and not with the infrastructure surtax voters approved in November. The infrastructure surtax funds will be used for larger repaving projects that will be starting this summer.   

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Don

Ms. Hanna, Please do a follow up story on the quality of the pothole repairs. They have been pretty bad.

Last edited 9 months ago by Don