Public Works Crews Systematically Repairing Potholes after 'Horrific' Winter

Back-to-back storms this past winter took a “horrific” toll on Royal Oak streets, City Manager Don Johnson said, but public works employees are canvassing streets block by block to stay ahead of potholes.

As of Monday, all roads south of 11 Mile Road had been covered, city officials said, but that doesn’t guarantee they are pothole-free because new craters are showing up every day, The Observer & Eccentric reports.

“Just because (crews) have been (to an area) it doesn’t mean there aren’t any potholes because new ones are forming all the time,” said Department of Public Service Director Greg Rassel. “And sometimes what we throw in gets washed out as well.”

The city has posted a Pothole Repair Tracking Map on its web site to help residents check progress of the repair program.

Rassel said the city has been inundated with calls about potholes. The volume of calls has been so great that the city can’t respond to each one individually and workers are making repairs as they encounter them in their systematic street-by-street canvasses.

The exception is major cave-ins, which are repaired immediately, Rassel said, encouraging residents to report only those potholes that are considered hazardous. To do that, call (248) 246-3000, or use the Royal Oak Support Center Online (ROSCO) form located on the city’s website.

Because of the harsh winter, the city overspent its budget for street maintenance and will need to dip into reserves, Johnson said. It cost between $70,000 and $100,000 to plow every time a snow emergency was declared, and that happened seven times this winter.

The city spent more than $1.1 million for street maintenance this winter, about $430,000 more than was budgeted. The budgets for major streets and local streets were $488,000 and $188,000, respectively.

City commissioners have talked about a millage to improve road conditions, but haven’t taken any action. Street repairs are funded entirely by the city’s share of the Michigan tax on fuel, vehicle registrations and various grants.