Lynn waging war on winter potholes

LYNN – It’s that time of year again when potholes jolt drivers and gobble up tons of gooey cold patch.The mix of crude oil residue and three-eighths inch crushed stone is getting shoveled into hole-pocked roads across the city by public works employees like General Foreman Brian Cooper.”This is a Band-Aid until we get hot mix,” Cooper said Tuesday, referring to the asphalt mix that adh-eres much better to potholes but is only available after spring arrives.Batch companies time hot patch manufacturing to the summer road paving season when demand for the sticky stuff is at a premium. In the meantime, Lynn and other cities and towns rely on cold patch plants in Stoughton and other locations to provide cold patch supplies.Three crews, including one supervised by Cooper, started filling local potholes Monday. Public Works Commissioner Jay Fink said they will roam around Lynn laying down cold patch “for as long as it takes.”Fink said the freeze and thaw cycle that starts at the tail end of winter brings out potholes and worsens ones that formed during the winter. The tire-jarring, suspension-busting holes are basically cracks in the road surface that fill with water that freezes and thaws, expanding the crack into a hole.Cold patch stays in potholes until another freeze and thaw loosens the material. Hot patch adheres much firmer once it has a chance to bond against the road surface in warm weather.Union Street, Ford Street and any stretch of road under a bridge are prime pothole locations, partly because asphalt used in paving adheres poorly even in the best conditions to 19th century cobblestones still lining road surfaces across the city.”Anyone who drives local roads can tell you where the worst potholes are,” Fink said.Residents can report potholes to the city hotline: 781-477-7099, ext.7.