The City of Wichita unveiled a second machine to fix potholes Thursday. Officials say repairs will be more efficient and long-lasting.
The approximately $210,000 truck is similar to the spray-injection machine the city purchased two years ago to help fix about 60,000 potholes a year on Wichita’s streets. One major difference: The new truck requires 1 employee, instead of 2.
Aaron Henning with the public works department says the machine—which mixes the asphalt on-site—creates a patch that can last about 5 times longer than with other techniques, like cold-patching.
"Traditional patches tend to be relatively short-lived, lasting about a year or so on average," Henning said. "Consequently, a significant number of the patches that we undertake in any given year are unfortunately repeat patches.”
Henning says the addition of the new truck will allow the city to proactively inspect each street in Wichita once every three years.
Mayor Jeff Longwell said Wichita is investing about $9 million a year into its streets, compared to about half that several years ago. Half of the proceeds from the $20 million sale of the Hyatt Hotel are also going toward street repair and maintenance.
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