Atlantic County Eager to Share Use of Pothole-Fixing Truck
If you've driven in Atlantic City recently, you may find it hard to believe that the city would have time to share a truck that fixes potholes with the rest of Atlantic County.
It seems like that truck would be occupied full-time trying to patch dilapidated roads like Atlantic City's Atlantic Avenue, where it's not a question of where the potholes are -- it's more where they aren't.
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small thinks he has the answer to fixing the legions of cavernous holes dotting the roads in AC. And, it's a one-man job.
Atlantic City has applied for a grant, the Local Efficiency Program Implementation Grant through the NJ Department of Community Affairs that controls the city's spending.
Known in the public works industry as a "spray injection patcher," the machine is run by one person right from the driver's seat with a single joystick.
Wait, it gets better, according to pothole experts.
While a traditional pothole patch job lasts about a year, work performed by the spray-injection patcher is expected to last about five years.
After hearing about this amazing machine, Atlantic County says they want in on using it.
The Press of Atlantic City reports that county commissioners passed a resolution to join Atlantic City and share in the use and expense of the pothole-fixing truck.
The cost? Atlantic County Shared Services Coordinator Timothy Kreischer estimates $532,000.
The long-term money saved on manpower alone would seem to make it worth the price, to say nothing of the benefits and the lack of angst provided by driving on a smooth pothole-free road. What a concept!
We will be watching the developments of purchasing the pothole-fixing truck very closely and will report back to you.