Spring brings St. Paul asphalt plant to life, with promise of pothole patches

A chilly wind Thursday kept the winter temperatures around, but St. Paul officials celebrated a sure sign of spring: the opening of the city's asphalt plant.

That should be welcome news for drivers after months of bumpy rides, car misalignments and popped tires. St. Paul Public Works Director Sean Kershaw said the city's goal is to fill all potholes that emerged this winter in the next month or two.

"This is the worst season for potholes we've ever had — because of the weather we had this winter and because of the age of our streets," Kershaw shouted over the churn of the plant during a news conference Thursday morning.

Two weeks ago, temperatures rose enough for St. Paul to start patching potholes by sourcing 500 tons of hot mix asphalt from a private contractor. The hot mix is stronger and more durable than the cold mix used for temporary fixes throughout the winter.

The city plant, which needed multiple warm days before resuming operation, can produce that much asphalt in one day — so officials said repair work should ramp up in earnest.

It's not just good news for St. Paul. The city is one of just a few in the country to own and operate an asphalt facility, so more than 100 other municipalities and private companies contract for hot mix.

In St. Paul, crews will address the most dangerous potholes first and prioritize busy arterial and collector streets second, Kershaw said. He added that his department will likely add overtime shifts and possibly keep the asphalt plant running on Saturdays.

Residents can email potholes@ci.stpaul.mn.us or call 651-266-9700 to report areas in need of fixing. St. Paul drivers can also file claims for vehicles damaged by potholes, though there are requirements to meet for claims to be granted — the city must have had prior notice of the pothole and "failed to correct the defect in a reasonable period of time based on the available crews," according to its website.

Claims in the first two months of 2023 were nearly triple what St. Paul received in all of last year, said Mayor Melvin Carter, who rode in a dump truck full of hot mix to make his pitch for a 1% local sales tax. The proposal would collect nearly $1 billion — $738 million for street maintenance and $246 million for park maintenance — over 20 years. To be implemented, it needs approval from the Legislature and voters.

"Our goal is to transition ourselves from chasing potholes around our community to really rebuilding and reconstructing our streets — to ensure that we're building the infrastructure that will pave the way, literally, to St. Paul's future," Carter said.

For years, city staff have warned that St. Paul streets have fallen decades behind on maintenance. Currently, the city says it needs about $29 million per year to bring pavement conditions up to par.

Not everyone thinks a sales tax is the best way to raise that money. The St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, for instance, has said street maintenance is a core function of municipal government and should be a budget priority.

Carter is arguing that a sales tax is St. Paul's most fair option, enlisting visitors using the capital city's streets to contribute to their upkeep.

State Sen. Sandy Pappas, a DFLer authoring the St. Paul sales tax bill, said she works with some of those visitors every day at the Capitol — lawmakers, lobbyists and advocates from across the state who have had their fair share of flat tires this year.

"This sales tax proposal is extremely popular at the Capitol," Pappas said. "The need is very obvious, at least to the Minnesota Senate."