The New Orleans Department of Public Works (DPW) is training new employees as part of its Smooth Streets initiative, which aims to repair approximately 1,500 miles of city roads using advanced techniques.
“It takes a lot of work, and we need to be able to do it right,” said Steve Nelson, director of DPW.
The process involves milling streets, laying asphalt, and using a slow-rolling technique to create smoother roadways. Boh Brothers Construction is providing demonstrations to ensure DPW employees are properly prepared to use the new methods.
“This is gonna be the next step for us within the department, going from helpful but a much more holistic approach to addressing our street problems,” Nelson said.
Eric Gardner, a laborer for the city of New Orleans, explained the former pothole repair process: ” We fill it up with asphalt, smooth it out, roll it, and go on to the next one.”
Nelson highlighted the benefits of the new approach, saying, “Filling potholes is good, but when we can come out and do a full block and I can finish and look just like brand new, it’s gonna give us a decade plus of life. It’s gonna be much easier for residents to drive, and this is a technique that’s much less intrusive.”
According to Nelson, the city’s original plan to repair 500 to 1,500 potholes each week is on track to be achieved by the end of the year, potentially eliminating long-standing potholes.
“The goal is to do our first block before Christmas and then be able to plan out whether it’s one block a week, two blocks a week, lay that out, communicate it with our customers to get to a place we were able to do like we’re seeing here—we built a day and we overlay the next day,” Nelson said.
READ MORE:Road Patrol: Training underway for New Orleans smooth streets initiative to repair city roads
