CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As we search for the worst roadways in our Driving You Crazy bracket, 3News decided to find out how the City of Corpus Christi decides which material is best for Coastal Bend roads -- concrete or asphalt?
Corpus Christi’s new Public Works Director Richard Martinez knows all about roadways.
"I’ve had streets in networks that I’ve been responsible for that were over 100 years old," Martinez said.
Martinez has worked in San Antonio and Fort Worth and is very aware of the task at hand to repair roadways in our unique climate.
"It’s tougher," Martinez said. "It’s tougher."
For instance, picking concrete over asphalt depends entirely on the soil underneath, the amount of traffic using the roadway, and initial construction costs. Concrete is more expensive, but Martinez said it has longer lasting benefits.
"You have to joint seal, pump jack, those kinds of things to keep it in good shape. If you do, you can have 40- to 80-year life cycles," Martinez said.
Moisture is the enemy, and that's why when choosing asphalt as the best option, care for the roadway will have to change from what City crews have done in the past.
"For instance, if a roadway is reconstructed instead of crack sealing in three years, we may go to crack sealing in two years," Martinez said. "Doing a sealant, water proofing sealant in eight years, we do it in five years."
Martinez said he realizes his first big change to the status quo and maintenance of our streets will start with the crews out working the job.
"But that means we’re just going to have to tighten up our maintenance schedules," Martinez said.
With more than 200,000 pot holes repaired just last year alone, the new public works director says we can expect that number to drop this year as he improves materials and betters the training of crews.
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