Courtesy of Mark Medina, San Benito County District 1 Supervisor:
I have received many calls regarding the workmanship of our road repairs.
San Benito County is aware of the concerns about the recent emergency pot hole repair project and is working with its contractors to ensure that the road work being done adheres to high standards. Our first priority is addressing safety issues. The road work is being completed addresses safety by filling potholes that could create problem driving conditions and could potentially damage vehicles. That work had to be completed as soon as possible, before the coming winter rains further undermine the damaged areas and create even more severe road conditions. The county contracted with Graniterock earlier this summer to do the emergency pot hole repairs on nearly 50 miles of county roads, for $395,000. On roads that were generally in better condition, like McCloskey Road, the pot hole repairs are fairly smooth, but on roads like Fairview and Shore Roads the pot hole repairs have resulted in some uneven sections.
Pot hole repairs are very specific and fill a small area that has created a “crater” in the road, which when hit by a vehicle will cause a violent or jarring reaction of the vehicle. Because the repair is limited to a small area around the original crater, there will sometimes be an uneven-ness between the new patch and the surrounding road surface. The repair will create a safe road surface, but not necessarily a smooth road surface, as experienced on Fairview Road. Many of our roads have not had significant repairs or resurfacing for years due to budget issues. Recently, the availability of new funding sources such as Senate Bill 1 (SB1), and our locally approved Measure G funds and the Enterprise Fund from the landfill has made it possible to begin some major resurfacing of County roads. Resurfacing the roads will entail the grinding of two to four inches of the existing road, creating a strong and smooth base and then overlaying that with a new layer of asphalt. This takes care of the uneven feel experienced in the pot hole repair. In the next few weeks, a number of major resurfacing projects will be acted on by the Board of Supervisors to improve our major roads. This will include sections of Fairview Road, Southside Road, Wright Road, Shore Road, and other heavily traveled roads that need major resurfacing.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the Resource Management Agency at (831) 636-4170.
