Cape city pothole patching underway after recent snowstorm

The white stuff on the ground is gone, and with the arrival of warmer weather, the Cape Girardeau Public Works crew is hard at work repairing the inevitable potholes left in the recent snowstorm’s wake.

Public Works advises residents to report a pothole by calling the department’s main number directly, (573) 339-6351, and leave a message if it is after hours.

Another way to send word of a pothole sighting is to go to the city’s website — www.cityofcape.org — select “I Want To” from the task bar in the upper right-hand corner and under the “Report” dropdown menu, select “Potholes and Road Hazards.”

“Please be patient as we begin fixing these,” Mayor Bob Fox said.

“We have to identify them, re-prioritize and then start fixing,” he added.

A pot hole is seen Monday at the intersection of North Sprigg and Bellevue streets in Cape Girardeau.Sarah Yenesel

The freeze-thaw cycle is responsible for most potholes, said Stan Polivick, director of the Public Works.

“If we go through several cycles of freeze-thaw, which at this time of year can be every night, those potholes begin to grow and new ones will show up where they weren’t before because the pavement has got a little weak spot in it now,” said Polivick, who has headed Public Works since September 2018.

“This past week, we went from the freezing weather to the rain, and the water gets under the pavement and tends to amplify the potholes,” he added.

Polivick said an estimated 3,500 man-hours are devoted annually to street repair and assuming ideal conditions, 40 to 50 potholes a day can be filled with cold mix.

“During the winter, the cold patch is the best option we’ve got,” he said, noting the city’s pothole truck can only be used from April through September.

“The truck uses heated emulsion and makes a more durable, much better patch but (the emulsion) must be kept at a pretty high temperature and we can’t get a supply until late March or early April anyway,” Polivick explained.

The truck is operated by a single city employee who lays down hot emulsion every working day for six months. After September, the same city worker turns his attention to leaf removal.

Polivick said the city’s capital improvement sales tax provides $500,000 annually dedicated to street repair, adding Transportation Trust Fund monies also are utilized.

The city’s website states Public Works is responsible for 233 miles of Cape Girardeau’s streets and 22 miles of alleyways, roughly the same distance as a drive to St. Louis and back.

“Sadly, there are so many potholes now after this winter and the latest episode and repeated plowing made it worse,” Fox said.

“Sometimes a number of people report the same problem and that’s okay, but once you tell us, you don’t have to call us back and tell us again. We’re going to get to them as quickly as we can,” Polivick said.

“Residents being patient is certainly encouraged. Once we know it’s there, it’s on (our) list,” he added.