STATEN ISLAND — The start of pothole repair season came early as crews recently fixed damaged roads around the Staten Island neighborhood of Mid Island.
Council Minority Leader Steven Matteo and the Department of Transportation announced that crews did "wear and tear" repairs at seven roads in his district, with another five scheduled to be fixed in the coming weeks, ahead of the usual spring repair season.
"Though this winter has not been particularly harsh, many of our roads are still in bad shape. We have a lot of work to do to make them safe and drivable," Matteo said in a statement.
"Pothole repairs can only do so much, which is why I dedicated funds for a wear and tear crew to make substantial, long-lasting improvements to some of our most dilapidated roads."
Instead of using traditional methods to fix potholed streets, "wear and tear" crews scrape off entire sections of the road and repave them, which Matteo said is tougher and lasts longer.
Streets that have already been repaired by crews are:
► Arlene Street between Lamberts Lane and Roman Avenue
► Jefferson Avenue from Hylan Boulevard to the Staten Island Railway station
► Jerome Avenue from Olympia Boulevard to Foch Avenue
► Whitake Place from Richmond Road to Wilson Street
► Fremont Avenue from Clawson Street to Hylan Boulevard
► Evergreen Avenue from Remsen Street to North Railroad Avenue
Streets set to be repaired in the coming weeks are:
► Lighthouse Avenue, near Edinboro Road
► Maine Avenue between Wardwell and Willard avenues
► Perry Avenue between Victory Boulevard and Purdy Avenue
► Ardmore Avenue between Victory Boulevard and Purdy Avenue
► Kermit Avenue between Parkinson and Norway avenues
Aside from the funds, Matteo said he's pushed the city to add a full-time "wear and tear" crew for the borough.
