The city may have turned the tide in the war on potholes.
Driving still is rough in some hard-hit parts of town, but Tom Orzulak, street division superintendent, said Friday that the dry, mild weather of the past week allowed his crews to start catching up with the proliferation of tire-busting, car-frame-rattling menaces.
Many Lawrence drivers, feeling their cars are falling victim to potholes, have let out cries for help. And help may be on the way as the milder weather of the past week has allowed the city to patch up some of the holes.
"We did pretty good with it, to be honest with you," he said. "We've been to most of the bad areas in town."
That's not to say the streets of Lawrence are perfect. Orzulak said the winter took a particularly hard toll on 23rd Street between Massachusetts and Louisiana streets, and 15th Street between Engel Road and Iowa Street. Patching the potholes in those areas won't be enough, he said.
"We'll probably have to do paving it's so bad there," he said, noting that those streets are due for repaving this summer anyway.
City officials say this winter has been the worst since 1992 in terms of street deterioration. Long wet periods and cycles of freezing and thawing wreaked havoc on pavement, particularly at intersections and low-lying areas where water pools.
In response, the city put as many as five repair crews on the street at a time; usually only one crew responds to potholes. The city's pothole hot line received eight hours worth of messages during February 196 minutes were recorded on Feb. 12 alone.
The city bought 175 tons of "cold patch" asphalt to temporarily fix the potholes; Orzulak said his crews had used 90 tons of "hot mix" last week for more permanent repairs.
Orzulak said he hopes for a continuation of the good weather.
"As long as it stays dry," he said, "we'll be able to make some headway."
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