Public Works Dept. Begins Using High-Tech Road Mixer To Fill Potholes
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- This winter's deep freeze left its mark on the streets of Pittsburgh. Potholes, big and small, can be found on just about every road in the city.
The holes are hard to fill in during the colder months, forcing drivers to dodge the craters until the weather warms up.
But now city workers have new weapon in their arsenal that works just as well in the winter as it does in the spring to eliminate the potholes once and for all.
Huffing and puffing smoke and steam, the Road Mixer 10 arrived on the North Side Wednesday ready to go after the scourge of potholes.
"It is the number one call that we get, and so, you are seeing here today an outward sign of our commitment to infrastructure, improving our roads and satisfying our constituency," said City Councilman Bruce Kraus, of the new machine.
Year-round, the Road Mixer 10 can pump out hot asphalt at 325 degrees. It's something Pittsburgh has been forced to live without in the winter.
"It's very frustrating because people don't realize we don't have the ability to fix the streets," said Mayor Bill Peduto. "We have to use cold patch, cold patch falls apart. Now at least, we have one member of our bullpen that has the ability to go out and seal it and fix it right."
But unlike cold patch, crews using the Road Mixer machine heat the offending pothole, creating a better seal of the new materials with the old.
"It's a one-time fix, and once it's done and done right, it's probably the strongest part of the road and it will not need to be done again until that road is resurfaced," said Gerry Farmer, of Road Mixer, Inc.
The mayor would eventually like to have one of these $400,000 machines in each of the city's Public Works divisions.
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