Winter storms leave mess behind
Snow and ice continue to keep local street crews busy even several days after the last winter storm moved on.
The Colorado Springs Streets Division, for example, has been busy removing ice accumulations from shady areas where melting and drainage are slow.
Workers also use street sweepers to vacuum leftover anti-skid material applied to streets to provide traction for drivers during storms.
The city used to recycle the sandy mixture but manager Corey Farkas said it will gradually be phased out in favor of liquid de-icer.
“De-icer costs a little more but works better overall,” he said. “It’s expensive to apply anti-skid, then reclaim it and dispose of it.”
The recent period of moisture and freeze-thaw cycles has created new potholes, as well. Crews spent Friday patching potholes and sealing street cracks on Platte Avenue downtown.
Last year, the Streets Division received a special $2 million appropriation for pothole repair from the City Council and spent the money on a private contractor to supplement crews’ normal repairs.
Farkas said neither of those will happen this year, so his division will try a different strategy.
“We’ll still have out own crews filling potholes,” he said. “But we’re going to focus more on repaving streets. The more we do that, the fewer potholes we’ll have. The repairs last year held up. What we’re seeing now are new potholes in areas we haven’t reached yet.”
Jenny Schnakenberg watched as crews worked.
“Happy to see them doing it,” she said. “The streets need it.”
Some drivers are complaining about large and long-unfilled potholes in business parking lots and driveways. One such pothole is known to many — in the driveway between Sonic and Texas Roadhouse off Eighth Street.
Rocks from nearby landscaping have been placed in the pothole, in an unsuccessful attempt to repair it.
“And it’s getting larger,” said Anthony Martinez, who says he regularly drives through it. “It’s the shortest distance for me.”
The city has no jurisdiction on potholes on private property. The property owner is responsible for repairs.
“I’ll just keep trying to avoid it,” Martinez said.
