Pothole Patching Policy

Introduction

The City of Ham Lake believes it is in the best interest of the residents for the city to do the maintenance of its city streets.  An important part of street maintenance is the repair of potholes.  The city will repair potholes in a safe and cost-effective manner, keeping in mind safety, budget, personnel, and environmental concerns.  The city will use city staff, equipment, and/or private contractors to provide this service.  Pothole repair is part of the city’s overall pavement management program.

Application

This policy applies to city streets.  It does not apply to other government roads that go through the city unless there is a specific agreement between the city and that other government.

When will the city repair potholes

The Public Works Superintendent will decide when to conduct pothole repairs, but repairs will consist of two elements.

Crew repair

A crew will be assigned an area to inspect.  It will repair any potholes it finds in that area.  Each street will be inspected a minimum of once a year depending on available resources and factors such as weather and other street work that needs to be done.  The timing for the repairs will also be based upon those factors.

Response to complaint or accident

A crew will be sent out to inspect any street when the city receives a complaint or notice of an accident or damage involving a pothole.

Criteria for pothole repair

Not every imperfection in a street surface is necessarily considered to be a pothole in need of repair.  The general criteria for repair will be a pothole that is 2 inches or deeper and over 5 inches in diameter.  The Public Works Superintendent or her/his designated employee will have the discretion to decide if a condition is a pothole in need of repair.

How will potholes be repaired

Potholes will be repaired temporarily during cold weather with a cold asphalt mix or other means.  During cold weather, the repairs will be limited to those determined to be hazardous for motor vehicles.  In warmer weather and when hot asphalt mix is available, potholes will be filled with the hot asphalt mix or other means for a more permanent repair.

Priorities and schedule for which streets where potholes will be repaired

The city has classified city streets based on the street function, traffic volume, and importance to the welfare of the community.  The city will repair those streets first that are high volume and high-speed routes that connect major sections of the city and provide access for emergency fire, police, and medical services.

The second priority streets are those streets providing access to schools and commercial businesses.  The third priority streets are low-volume residential streets.  The fourth priority areas are city parking lots.

Weather conditions

Pothole repairs will be conducted only when weather conditions do not limit the ability to perform the work or when such work would not endanger the safety of city staff and equipment.  Factors that may delay repairs are cold temperatures, rain, snow, and ice conditions.

Documentation

Workers will document all street repairs to potholes that are made under this policy.  Records will not necessarily identify each individual pothole but may show the general street location where repairs were made.

Warning signs or devices

If the city knows of a pothole in a street and it is not able to repair it, it will consider whether it should use warning signs or devices.  Factors that will be examined will be the location of the pothole, how dangerous it is, and whether a warning sign or device would be effective.

Adopted by City Council April 3, 2006

Revised Spring 2010