Potholes.

 

And this year looks to be one of the worst pothole seasons in a long time.

 

“I’m expecting us to do a lot more  pothole patching this year than we’ve been facing in recent years,” says Sherburne County Public Works Director John Menter.

 

This winter was one of the coldest in years, with more that 50 days with temperatures dipping below zero. Add to that all the snow that seemed to never melt, and it’s perfect conditions to create potholes.

 

The county public works department has had its hands full since December trying to keep the roads clear.  The county used a special salt mix with magnesium chloride to work on roads when temperatures sank below zero.

 

“We’ve gone through an awful lot of treated salt this winter,” says Menter. “We can’t get any more. We exhausted our contract.”

 

Menter says the department’s budget for salt and sand was $200,000. But that’s not counting how much salt and sand was left over from last winter.

 

“I’d guess we used a lot more product this year,” he says.

 

The county just ordered more regular salt, which works fine as long as the temperatures don’t dip below 15 degrees. This time of year, that usually isn’t a problem.

 

But all the freezing and thawing has resulted in lots of potholes.

 

“When you use all those chemicals to melt the snow you’re going to get water on the roadway that’s melting and re-freezing,” says Menter. “Any crack that water can find, it’s going get in, causing bigger cracks, then potholes.”

 

The county has had two crews out patching potholes since last week after the hot mix plant re-opened in St. Paul.

 

“The last few years we’ve been going down to St. Paul  to get hot mix because it does a much better job and will hold together a lot longer,” says Menter.

 

But potholes are just one thing the public works department has to deal with this year. There’s still the regular construction schedule to contend with.

 

And the weather has to improve before crews can get out and start doing road projects.

 

“It depends on how long winter is going to drag out. Last year there was snow until early May,” says Menter. “That’s obviously going to delay road construction. It all depends on when spring arrives and things dry out.” 

 

Because of the late snow last year, the construction season was pushed back. Menter says the county was still able to complete everything on the list. That might not happen this year if things start late because of a more extensive schedule.

 

In 2013, county projects covered just about 20 miles and cost $10.2 million.  This year’s schedule covers almost 30 miles with a total cost of $16 million.

 

“This year we’re doing quite a bit more. If we start late with this bigger program I’d be a little bit more concerned about getting them completed by the end of fall,” he says. “If you don’t get started until June you have a fairly short construction season, or a whole lot going on at the same time. You’re disrupting traffic as it is. But then to try to cram it into a shorter period of time will cause a lot more congestion.” 

 

 

• Co. Rd 4 from Co. Rd. 11 to Co. Rd. 5;

 

• Co. Rd. 6 from Co. Rd. 3 to north county line;

 

• Co. Rd. 11 from Hwy. 10 to Co. Rd. 24;

 

• Co. Rd. 15 from Hwy. 10 to 211th Ave.;