Princeton Using Temporary Pothole Fixer

potholesRoad problems in Princeton have become a major headache for drivers over the last several weeks.  Reports of flat tires, rim damage and missing hubcaps are common as drivers navigate broken asphalt that is peppered with gaping potholes.

Road crews are filling the holes with a temporary asphalt product called cold patch, which has been in short supply because of the high demand. Bob Hough, the director of infrastructure and operations for the town of Princeton, said two public works department crews are working on pothole repairs each day.

“We have used approximately 25 tons of cold patch so far and have been getting our material from Trap Rock,” Hough said. “We are concentrating on the major roads first each day, and working our way into neighborhoods.”

Town crews will tackle roads under municipal jurisdiction like Harrison Street, but state and county roads will have to be repaired by the state and county departments of transportation.

“We have heard a lot of complaints about Route 206,” Hough said. “We continue to notify the New Jersey Department of Transportation about Route 206.”

At the town council meeting Monday night, Engineer Bob Kiser said the cold patches are a temporary fix. Road crews will make permanent repairs in the spring when the weather stabilizes.

In case more snow or freezing rain come our way, Hough said the town has approximately 225 tons of salt and about 150 tons of a sand and salt mix on hand.

4 Comments

  1. Personally I would be glad for the holes to remain in N Harrison St. Since they sprang up, more drivers have been observing the speed limit (25 MPH) instead of going the usual 60+ MPH. The police could pay their salaries writing speeding tickets on N Harrison St–if only they would. It’s a matter of time until a pedestrian is hit on this street. Animals have been hit–which would not happen if the speed limit were being observed.

    I did speak to Officer Murray, who claims to be a great expert at traffic planning, about traffic calming options for this area of road, and he was completely negative about all options.

    And now, Mother Nature has shown just how effective a buzz strip could be. Officer Murray, take note!

    1. No accident in Princeton ever happened without a driver being drunk (or DUI). When will people realize that the main problem is not speeding but drinking?

      We have too many Liquor stores in Princeton.

      1. Actually Princeton has one less that permitted based upon the population. Move to Trenton, and see what too many liquor stores is really like.

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