Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell announced the city has purchased a new machine that will reportedly make the repair of potholes faster and more durable.
The mayor announced the $174,000 machine during his weekly briefing as crews demonstrated. He says the city fixes about 50,000 potholes every year, with a cost of just over $10 per pothole. That means nearly $500,000 in taxpayer money is spent yearly on the repairs. And while the individual cost will rise with the new machine, the repairs last longer, on average 5 years, so there are cost savings.
“In short this machine produces a repair that is somewhat between a pothole patching and a permanent pot hole repair," Longwell said.
Longwell says the machine, which can be used to fix about 5,000 potholes a year, will reduce instances of repairing the same pothole multiple times. If it proves beneficial, the city could purchase more of the machines.
To report potholes, call 316-268-4013, or use the Wichita Report app for Android and iOS smartphones. More information about the app is at wichita.gov.
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