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Street and Sidewalk Maintenance

Transcription Night Shift Vol. 2: Charlotte Department of Transportation

It's a tough job. But someone's got to do it.

You can find Charlotte Department of Transport. 6ation crews filling potholes any time of day.

"This job is around the clock. 24/7, 365 days a year.”Jason Bell, Labor Crew Chief II

Their work never ends. CDOT repaired about 1,500 potholes in 2018 alone. They expect to fill even more in 2019.

"It feels good to know that you’ve played a part in actually doing something good for the city. You know, it's a really good feeling.” Weylyn Ivey, CDOT Crew Member

With more than 2,500 miles of roads to maintain, nine CDOT crew members are on call every night. Their goal is to investigate and repair any potholes that create a safety hazard within 24 hours. CDOT says their hard work pays off.

"You got a person that might have a very expensive vehicle and really loves their vehicle. They hit that pothole or they spill that coffee on themselves early in the morning. You know, maybe you helped avoid that.” Jason Bell, Labor Crew Chief II

If you’d like to report a pothole, contact 311. Team Charlotte has you covered.

Safe, well-maintained streets and sidewalks are important to everyone. CDOT handles this responsibility year-round. CDOT's Street Maintenance Division is committed to ensuring Charlotte streets, drainage structures and sidewalks are in safe condition.

Maintenance work areas:

Asphalt repair and maintenance.
Pot hole repair.
Resurfacing.
Sidewalk repair.
Storm drain maintenance, repair and debris clean up.
Winter weather preparedness, emergency response and unscheduled maintenance need.

Street Cut Regulations and Certification:

Any time a City of Charlotte street is cut, specific regulations and requirements must be followed. Cuts are only allowed to be made by certified personnel acting on behalf of utility companies or contractors. The following documents and links provide the necessary information to legally perform street cuts within the City of Charlotte's Right of Way.

Registration for Certification Class (class capacity varies by date)

Street Cut Regulations and Procedures(PDF, 523KB)
Utility Cut Certification List (PDF, 430KB)

For information pertaining to Utility Companies visit the Utility Right of Way Management page.

Resurfacing

City crews maintain more than 2500 miles of streets. Funding for resurfacing and repairs comes from gasoline taxes collected by the State of North Carolina.

Utility companies and City agencies are consulted to avoid cuts in newly resurfaced streets. Do they have some work planned that would conflict with CDOT street maintenance and resurfacing work? For instance, should water or electric lines need repairing or installing?

Resurfacing Process

Asphalt Base Repair - An asphalt repair patch crew digs out the cracked and broken asphalt base failure, then patches back
Concrete Work - After the asphalt repair crew finishes the asphalt repair, the concrete repair crews to repair any damaged or broken curb and gutter, and install handicap ramps if needed.
Milling & Structure Adjustment - If the street needs milling, existing pavement will be ground down to make room for the resurfacing asphalt overlay (usually 1 inch of asphalt).
On Street Parked Car Notification – About 48 hours before resurfacing, notices are placed on parked car windshields notifying motorists of upcoming street work and asks motorists to park elsewhere during the resurfacing work.
Asphalt Surface Treatment and Asphalt Resurfacing - A bituminous surface treatment (tar and gravel) is applied, then immediately paved over by the resurfacing crews.
Pavement Markings - Pavement markings such as centerline, stop bars, and lane markings will be reapplied within 3 days of the resurfacing.

Resurfacing List (Planned)

Streets Resurfacing List(PDF, 219KB)

Report a Pot Hole

Potholes can occur on City streets at any time of the year. Mostly they appear during winter and spring. When water, snow and ice seeps into the pavement, then refreezes, the asphalt heaves up, causing cracks and deterioration. Vehicles running over the road dislodge chunks causing potholes.

To report a pothole in a street include a street location. If possible, include a house number or block range in the location comments.

Be sure to have accurate information about where the pothole is located - street name, block number, house number, inbound lanes, outbound lanes, etc. Any information that can help repair crews find it quickly is needed.

Report Sidewalk Repairs and Obstructions

The Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) inspects sidewalks and will repair unsafe conditions to sidewalks at the City's expense. This includes driveway pads for residential sidewalks, only if the sidewalk needing repair crosses that particular driveway pad. CDOT will also repair sidewalks with unsafe conditions at commercial properties, but will not repair the driveway pad.

CDOT may initially patch a sidewalk with asphalt in order to make it safe and protect both the City and the adjacent property owner from associated liability. CDOT will replace the asphalt with concrete sidewalk when crews are available at a later date.

Report an unsafe sidewalk needing repairs for a street within the Charlotte city limits.

Report an obstruction to the sidewalk for a street within the Charlotte city limits.