Filling a need - and more than a few potholes

When it rains in Anoka County, it pours potholes. You think there are only two seasons in Minnesota — winter and road construction? There’s also Pothole Season, and it never ends, says Anoka County Highway Engineer Doug Fischer.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Ramsey seeks bids for 2014 streets maintenance projects

The Ramsey City Council March 25 adopted a list of street improvement projects it would like to tackle this year, assuming bids come in favorably at the April 25 council meeting.

Read more in the Anoka County Union.

Three Coon Rapids residential street projects out for bids

Three residential street reconstruction projects totaling over 8 miles with a combined estimated close of close to $7 million have been given the go-ahead by the Coon Rapids City Council. Following public and assessment hearings April 1, the council unanimously ordered the projects, approved plans and specifications and ordered bids.

Read more in the Coon Rapids Herald.

The problem with potholes

There are few among us who’d argue that winter shouldn’t end. It’s been a long one. However, the end of winter inevitably signals another challenge in Minnesota: potholes. . . . We’ve increased spending on resurfacing by 400 percent and made the switch from short-term asphalt (blacktop) to concrete (whitetop) whenever possible for its long-lasting benefits.

Read this opinion piece by Anoka County Board of Commissioners Chair Rhonda Sivarajah.