The St. Paul Asphalt Plant is humming along, churning out a “hot mix” designed to fill all of the city’s potholes, which have only grown worse as the winter season comes to a close.
“This is the worst pothole season we’ve ever had, “ St Paul Public Works Director Sean Kershaw said. “Because of the winter we had and the age of our streets.”
Two weeks ago, he says the city started patching potholes with materials they purchased from a private company, but now with the plant up and running, they’ll begin to ramp up the repair work.
“We will start with the worst one. The most dangerous ones,” Kershaw said.
On Thursday, he joined St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter at a press conference outside the plant.
Carter took to the podium after stepping out of an asphalt truck, declaring it a “Happy Asphalt Thursday.”
Carter told reporters that the financial burden of potholes is real, and the city is feeling the burden.
“In 2022, we received 85 pothole claims for the entire year,” Carter said. “In 2023, we’ve already received 250 claims for pothole damage.”
Carter is proposing a 1% city sales tax to help give pothole-riddled streets a more permanent fix as he looks to re-surface them altogether. Approval would need to come from the legislature and taxpayers.
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