HUDSON — The Department of Public Works began repair of a large hole on South 3rd Street between Allen and Warren streets at around 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Reconstruction of one side of the street is expected to conclude Wednesday, according to Hudson Department of Public Works Superintendent Rob Perry.
It is unclear when the other side of the street will be completed, as the DPW has to restock certain materials and schedule another night shift of work.
The crew excavated nearly two inches of road and subbase — the layer of composite material that is the main weight-bearing layer of pavement. New stone subbase was installed with geotextile, a liquid, asphalt-like coat that provides a waterproof layer between old and new pavement.
The large hole extends nearly the entire length of the road and was caused by five years of heavy traffic. The road gradually succumbed to erosion since it was last repaved.
So far, materials for the repair cost Hudson’s department of public works $5,000. The hole is on a local road and is part of a truck route that is assigned by the state Department of Transportation to help direct truck traffic throughout the city, according to Perry.
DPW workers redirected traffic during the repair, but large trucks were flagged through the work zone. The hole’s presence has frustrated the community both for causing an unsafe driving hazard and for creating noise during its restoration.
“That pothole/crater/sinkhole on 3rd Street has had people going crazy for weeks, complaining how it’s damaging vehicles, disrupting traffic flow and is a danger to pedestrians, and whining incessantly about city officials and road crews not doing anything to fix it, not caring about Hudson residents or misappropriating city funds and taxpayers money,” said Carole Mesow Nabozny, a resident of Greenport.
“And now, the minute work begins to repair it, the whiners and complainers come out from under their rocks, indignant because the work being done is causing them a little minor inconvenience. Road repairs create noise. But it won’t last forever. So get yourself some earplugs for the next couple of nights, listen to some Van Morrison. Just quit yer bitchin,’” Nabozny said.
Lori Dardani, a manager and co-owner of Steiner’s Sports, a recreational sports store on the corner of Warren and South 3rd streets, doesn’t think the repair of the pothole will attract potential customers to buy from her store.
“It’s great, business is doing well,” she said. “I don’t think it will do anything to our business, though.”
Bill Huston, a community activist, sent an email Wednesday to the city’s municipal government blaming the Hudson construction company A. Colarusso & Son Inc., for the degradation of the road, something he felt was due to their consistent use of the road.
“The entirety of the two blocks likely has a bad subbase and other spots will begin to deteriorate at some point,” Huston said. “Then what? Call out the Army again to rip out the road and have the taxpayers of Hudson pay for DPW to repair what should have been dealt with.”
Huston said Colarusso should be responsible for fixing the road.
“Hudson’s infrastructure is old and crumbling in parts,” Common Council President Thomas DePietro said. “Fortunately, DPW is working as diligently as possible to fix what it can as soon as it can.”
Mayor Kamal Johnson said Wednesday he is pleased the hole is being repaired.
“Driver and pedestrians safety are very important for our city,” he said. “This winter did a number on our roads and we have to make sure that our roads are safe for all kinds of transportation.”