INFRARED STREET REPAIR

For those of us who pay attention to the condition of our city streets, you will have noticed some significant changes in some of our most utilized intersections.

There is an outfit out of Connecticut making surface repairs during the wee hours of the night. From what I've seen and driven on so far, I am impressed.

With the help of some of our own DPW road crew, Connecticut Infrared had conquered areas like Washington Ave (pictured above), Loundsberry and Emerson Streets. You may be asking why the name Infrared...


Well, that's the process they are using to make these radical repairs. The mechanism hovers inches above the macadam, radiates the surface several inches down to over 400 degrees. The crew roughs up a section with short tooth rigid rakes with little effort. Replacing only a few shovels of fresh material, they have the patch in question power tamped within minutes. I witnessed this myself with disbelief last month at this intersection.

The acres of repair during the month of May cost the city 24K. That's a whole lot less than if they had resurfaced the streets curb to curb. Superintendent Schupp had seen the demonstration by this company out at the Hudson Valley Mall a few months ago and realized the potential for our street repairs immediately.

This doesn't take away from the terrific work that the other surface crews have done city wide. Those of you who know the hamlet of Wilbur are well aware of the successful street repair on Fitch & Burnett Streets off of Wilbur Ave. Not to increase traffic because of this long awaited achievement, but it's worth driving on this street if only for the view of the boatyard below. Here are some of those before and after pictures:


I wonder if DeWitt St will ever see the resurfacing I asked for for six years.