GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ)- Changing temperatures has been keeping Green Bay Public Works Department busy.
We have had worse winters, but Director of Green Bay Public Works Steve Grenier says his crew has been doing constant salting.
“Mixed precipitation is what we are concerned with this time of year. We really want to make sure that we don’t end up with ice formation, that is really a killer. “We had that really early deep cold, and then we had that unseasonably warm. We had a lot of melt and that results in a lot of ice.”
At this point in 2018, Green Bay Public Works has had two fewer plow events then they did at this time in 2017.
Winter months means it is also time to keep an eye out for potholes on the streets.
“Our street guys are out looking for these potholes all throughout the winter.”
Grenier says all winter is technically pothole season. He says they form from due to temperature changes.
Pothole formation is caused from water finding a way into or below the pavement. That water freezes and overtime it traps additional precipation, forming layers of ice. Grenier says sometimes things thaw from the top down which eventually leads to soft spots with lots of moisture. Once the asphalt sinks down in the hole that is formed.
“We will try to do a short term fix by just filling in the pothole. Sometimes it takes a little more work or is need of a long term soultion, so that becomes a project for the summer.”
Grenier said so far, this year is very consistant with past winters.
