Repaved Lincoln Drive is not pothole proof

Lincoln Drive is notorious for having potholes. Harsh winters accelerate the erosion of the road surface as water freezes and expands in cracks. (See Anatomy of a pothole)

This cycle often means a bumpy ride for motorists in the winter and spring. Lincoln Drive was resurfaced recently creating a smoother ride.

NewsWorks checked in with the Philadelphia Streets Department to see if it the new surface would be more pothole resistant.

June Cantor, a spokeswoman with the highway division of the Streets Department says Lincoln Drive between Ridge Ave. and Wissahickon Ave. was repaved with the standard asphalt mix instead of the porous material, which is generally used in areas where soil conditions allows excess water to drain into the ground.

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“The highway division simply performed preventative maintenance applications to the roadway to eliminate the most troublesome problems that have existed there,” Cantor said. “Porous paving would require complete reconstruction of a road,” she added.

But probably most important Cantor says that porous paving would NOT be conducive on this stretch of Lincoln Drive because of the dense rock in the area.

(Revised to indicate that porous paving would not work on Lincoln Drive)

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