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Heavy rain wreaks havoc on pothole repairs

The City of Duluth street maintenance crews have been patching potholes since early spring due to the warmer than usual weather. A significant portion of that work has been delayed now with the recent torrential rains. The National Weather Service reported that 4.5 inches of rain fell over a two and half hour period last Saturday causing flooding in parts of West Duluth. The heavy rain is also causing problems for pothole repair efforts.          

“Our crews have been working hard throughout the city, patching streets and alleys. We made progress with the warm spring but the heavy downpour over the past weekend brought us back ten steps. A good portion of the work we completed has been washed out by the rain,” says Kelly Fleissner, the City’s Maintenance Operations Manager that oversees street maintenance.    

Fleissner indicates that gravel roads and alleys suffered the most damage. Residents are requested to scoop up loose gravel and place it back in the potholes until city crews can reach the affected areas.     

City street maintenance crews are undertaking repair efforts in the affected areas which could take up to three weeks to complete, depending on weather conditions.