Another Brick In The Road

Wayne Avenue lost another brick today. Most potholes damaged by the 2014 polar vortex have been filled and repaired. These most unique of all chuckholes however remain untouched.

Fort Wayne Indiana is preserving some of their brick streets. An advocate for brick road restoration had the following to say in a recent News-Sentinel article...

" 'While the initial cost to repair a brick street today is high in comparison to asphalt or concrete streets, they require very little maintenance, they never get potholes, and they can be expected to last 50 to 100 years. In Traverse City, Mich., there are brick streets in use that are nearly 100 years old. The average asphalt street in Fort Wayne lasts just 18 years

More of this stretch of Wayne Avenue exists than doesn't. Almost a hundred years or more later. (Imagine what the average asphalt street would look like in the same time period. It would be a complete amalgam of pothole filler) Unfortunately brick roads eventually do develop potholes.

The West Central Neighborhood Association hailing from that same Fort Wayne, Indiana published an exhaustive pamphlet detailing how brick roads can be repaired.(The Benefits of Restoring Brick Streets) The pdf covers brick street assessment, construction, brick storage, repair process, equipment, materials, and financial considerations.

Cities in Illinois (Champaign, Rock Island, and Downers Grove) with much less wherewithal than Chicago have had experience with brick road repair.