2018 was one of the wettest years in Henrico County since the 1880s. The rain significantly impacted road paving and repairs.
“We lost almost half a year of production due to wet weather,” said Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Steve Yob.
Road crews missed approximately 200 days of production in 2018, so this year they hope to make up lost ground. Crews will work weekends and nights to get the job done.
“Our residents can expect to see quite a bit of paving in subdivisions this coming year,” added Yob.
Paving is dependent on temperature. The plants only make asphalt if it’s warm enough to put down. It needs to be at least 60 degrees and dry to do the work.
If Mother Nature cooperates, DPW crews plan to pave about 200 miles of roadways. That’s nearly double the miles resurfaced in a typical year. The paving budget for 2019 is $13 million.
Residents will be alerted before a paving project begins in their neighborhood.
“We always put out notices to the homes in the area where we’re going to pave and crews put out signs as well,” explained Yob.
Resurfacing is a multistep process that can take six to 10 weeks. DPW workers ask residents for their patience and cooperation.
“When those signs and notices go out,” said Yob, “it’s very important that our residents not park on the street for those days.”
He encourages anyone who knows of potholes or pavement problems to report them to DPW at (804) 501-4393 or to use the online forms.
“We don’t always know when they pop up so we appreciate our residents reporting them and we will take care of those as quickly as we can,” he said.
Henrico is one of just two Virginia counties that maintains its own roads. VDOT is responsible for paving most major thoroughfares that pass through the county.
