A Never Ending Issue with an Ending in Sight?

By Lilly Whitsell

On the corner of Delaware Ave and Knowlton Ave, there is a Spot Coffee that I frequent. On the corner of the street, in beautiful mosaic tiling, is the logo of the Buffalo Bills. Every time I walk past, I wonder who took the time to fill a hole with such beauty. And recently, I learned that the person responsible is the Buffalo Pothole Bandit – a vigilante artist who fills potholes in the Greater Buffalo Area, leaving smooth roads and art in a creative medium. It begs the question – how bad is the pothole situation that an artist needs to step in. 

Western New York is famous for two things – the lake effect snowfall it endures year after year, and the giant car swallowing pot holes that come right after. The region faces constant criticism of its inability to fix them with anything but a temporary solution by its drivers – many of which are missing front bumpers. As a result of the abnormally cold and snowy winter faced this year, the pothole season is worse than previous years. Road crews are scrambling to come up with a solution. 

If potholes are such a serious issue, how do we fix them? There are two ways to fix a pothole – a Cold Patch or a Hot Patch. A Cold Patch involves pouring an asphalt mix into a pothole, creating a concrete-like filler. It is a low cost fix, and it is relatively simple to do – this is the method that the Buffalo Pothole Bandit uses. However, it is a temporary fix as it is unable to bond to anything, causing it to crumble and break under heavy use. A Hot Patch uses an asphalt mix that is heated to fuse the pothole and the compound together, creating a tight bond that is significantly more durable under heavy use. This method is more expensive, as heavy equipment is needed to apply this solution. (Pavemade.com) 

The City of Buffalo recently elected Sean Ryan to Mayor on the promise of addressing the situation. According to an article published by WGRZ in February, road crews through the Department of Public Works (DPW) have been deployed throughout the city to apply Cold Patches to roads in need of a quick fix to get through the rest of the cold weather left for the year. Once the weather gets warmer, Buffalo and Tonawanda residents will begin to see Hot Patches fused to the major potholes in their areas. 
After months of negotiations between Buffalo, Erie County, and the City of Tonawanda, an agreement has been reached and the go-ahead to implement Hot Patches has been granted. Just last week, according to WGRZ, Tonawanda received a $70,000 Asphalt recycler that will be able to produce hot patches on demand. This recycler, a Stepp SMMT, will be able to take old millings and melt them into a usable product – about 500 pounds of patches per batch. 

This machine is a step in the right direction for the Queen City. While the problem is not, and may never be fully solved, a designated hot patch machine and a solid plan going forward will positively impact our community.