City of Gardner, Kansas

Mon, October 06, 2008

Home : City Government : Public Works : Streets

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Streets

The Street Maintenance Division is responsible for:

Routine maintenance of the City's streets, alleys, curbs, and gutters
- Pothole repairs
- Mill and overlay
- Crack sealing
- Slurry sealing
Street sweeping
Ice and snow control on public streets
Stormwater system maintenance.

Street Rehabiltation and Maintenance
The City maintains 171 lane miles of street pavement. Routine maintenance of the streets reduces the number of repairs required.

What is rehabilitation? Rehabilitation is a complete reconstruction of the street to include subgrade repair (as necessary), new asphalt pavement, and new curbs and gutters.
When is rehabiltitation required? Rehabilitation is required when the street has reached the end of its useful lifetime; and when no other maintenance activity can restore the street to a satisfactory condition or prevent it from deterioration quickly.
Will I still have access to my street during rehabilitation work? Generally, you will have access. Although the street will be closed to through traffic during construction, there will be brief periods when you may not have access to your driveway for several days until the concrete curb has cured.
What happens when a street is milled and overlayed? The top 2-3 inches of the street are milled off and replaced with new asphalt. The milling removes the old surface and creates a rough surface which allows the new asphalt to bond with the old pavement.
Why does the City mill and overlay streets? As the street ages, it is necessary to remove and replace the top layer of asphalt. On average, the City mills and overlays a street every 10-15 years or as needed. The difference in time is due primarily to traffic and truck volume.
Can I drive on the street while this work is being done? No. Tack oil and hot asphalt is placed on the surface. You cannot drive on the pavement until it has cooled 2-4 hours, depending on air temperature.

Scheduled maintenance programs include:

Crack sealing: applying asphalt rubber into the crack to seal it and prevent water from getting into the street.
Slurry sealing: oil and rock are mixed together prior to spreading on the street.
Overlay: milling off the top 1.5 to 2 inches of the street and replacing it with fresh asphalt to seal and revitalize the street.

Scheduled maintenance programs are based on street condition. Other repairs are made based on reports of problems from residents.

Pothole Repairs

The City repaired a considerable amount of potholes in 2004. The average cost per pothole was $50.49. Potholes on major thoroughfares are given higher priority and generally repaired within 48 hours of being reported. The average response time to potholes on residential streets is three working days.

Potholes and other street maintenance can be reported in three ways:

E-mail with the location of the pothole and any other pertinent information. Include your name and home phone number for our records.
Contact our Street Maintenance Division from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 913-856-6945.

Snow and Ice Removal

The City of Gardner provides snow and ice removal services. To learn more about how the City provides this service, visit the Snow and Ice Removal page.

Street Sweeping

The City of Gardner provide street sweeping services. To learn more about how the City provides this service, visit the Street Sweeping page.

Reporting Curb Problems
Curbs gather water that runs off the street and carry it to the storm drainage system.
The Street Maintenance Division keeps a list of the curb problem locations that have been reported by residents. The most effective, long-term repair of curbs is curb replacement. Public Works hires a construction contractor to replace a specific amount of curb each year depending on funding. For curb problems not included in the replacement contract, the Street Maintenance Division sends out a crew to patch the curb with asphalt until a permanent fix can be made.

Curb problems can be reported in two ways:

E-mail with a description of the problem, location and any other pertinent information. Include your name and home phone number for our records.
Call our Street Maintenance Division from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 913-856-6945.

Requesting Traffic and Street Sign Repairs

The city has more than 5,000 traffic and street name signs. These signs are grouped into three categories:

Regulatory: speed, stop or yield signs
Warning: diamond-shaped with a yellow background, such as "curve ahead"
Guide: usually have green or brown backgrounds that help motorists navigate through unfamiliar areas

Missing or damaged STOP or YIELD signs are considered urgent and can be reported in two ways:

Call our Street Maintenance Division from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 913-856-6945.
Call Public Safety during nights or weekends at 913-856-7312.

Non-urgent sign problems can be reported in two ways:

E-mail with the location of the problem and any pertinent information.
Call our Street Maintenance Division at 913-856-6945. A dispatcher will receive the call 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. A message can be left during nights or weekends.

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