Springtime weather means pothole repair for 773d CES Airmen

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jeremy Clapham, assigned to the 773rd Civil Engineer Squadron, uses a saw to cut into the asphalt around a pothole while performing road improvements on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, April 3, 2015. The 773rd CES Airmen repaired potholes around base to maintain safe road conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Alejandro Pena)

Springtime weather means pothole repair for 773d CES Airmen

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jeremy Clapham, assigned to the 773rd Civil Engineer Squadron uses a plate compactor on newly applied asphalt while performing road improvements on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, April 3, 2015. The 773rd CES Airmen repaired potholes around base to maintain safe road conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo/Alejandro Pena)

Springtime weather means pothole repair for 773d CES Airmen

Published April 13, 2015
773d Civil Engineer Squadron

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- Alaska's extreme temperature fluctuations create numerous potholes.

Cold weather freezes moisture in the ground, causing it to expand and crack the asphalt surface.

More water then penetrates the crack and further deteriorates the pavement over time.

The combination of freezing and thawing, water and the flow of traffic, creates potholes. But if they are identified and repaired in a timely manner, their severity will be reduced.

Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson has more than 120 miles of paved road and a climate which is hard on pavement, so potholes may appear before the 773d Civil Engineer Squadron's Horizontal Section completes a road maintenance inspection.

If you are the lucky finder of a pothole, there are two basic steps to take.

First, take note of the hole's location; be specific and provide a street name, intersection, or nearby building number.

Second, if the hole is in a housing area, contact Aurora Housing at 753-1091; for all other JBER roads, call the 773d CES pothole repair line, 552-2994. The hotline is operating 24 hours a day until May 1, when the section moves to summer hours, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The section's goal is to repair potholes within 24 hours of notification. However, due to mission constraints and weather, it may take longer. The location of a pothole may also require time to coordinate traffic-control devices so repair crews and motorists are safe.