On Aug. 26, the city’s Communications staff had the pleasure of going behind the scenes with Public Works to learn more about the department’s schedules & processes for maintaining the city’s alleys, sidewalks, and residential streets.
Good morning! It’s tweet-along time again. Today we’re #InTheField with Mark from Public Works to go behind the scenes with our street-repair crew. pic.twitter.com/uraVF5Z2ee
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
#DYK? Public Works is only one division among several in Public Services, including Water Distrubution, Water Production, Wastewater, Stormwater, & Fleet Maintenance.
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Our first stop today is the Jennings alley off of Blair Oaks. This crew finished a section around the corner last week. The job was generated by a request from the street’s residents. pic.twitter.com/Oxmrm5b7O1
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
There are numerous work orders for street/alley/sidewalk repairs being processed #InTheField by Public Works at any given time, while new orders continue to be generated.
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Managing all those work orders demands an efficient process. All work is scheduled in advance. Workers are provided iPads #InTheField so they may update jobs and file paperwork remotely.
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Every job #InTheField requires a lot of prep work, too: locating utilities and coordinating with trash collection and nearby residents, of course, among other concerns.
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Public Works is broken into four crews over three zones, all of which are #InTheField all day everyday. A single crew handles jobs within each zone to prevent overlap, maintain effective scheduling & timely execution of projects.
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Mark’s next stop #InTheField is in Ridgepointe where crews are breaking up the concrete in the alley behind Sarasota. The line locator is here, too. They’ll start digging out the rest later today. pic.twitter.com/wWnrJEWJ3o
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Around the corner from this job are signs of simultaneous work from the same crew. There’s a spot in the alley across the street that’s dug up, awaiting a concrete pour, and another section up the road already finished. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/uWlP0UlCbz
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Public Works is a response-based division that relies on reports from the community. Unfortunately, crews don’t have time to drive the city looking for issues. #InTheField
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Residents can report issues by calling 972-624-3129, emailing pubworks@thecolonytx.gov, or clicking the “Let us know” button at https://t.co/ijILEWYowP.
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Public Works crews prioritize residential roadwork projects unless work is required along thoroughfares, like recently at SColony/Paige and Memorial/Paige, where the roads had buckled due to thermal expansion. #InTheField 1/2
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Thoroughfare work has other challenges like thicker concrete and pavers, requiring specialized skills. These two jobs recently wrapped up, however. Here’s SColony/Paige. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/Qy1Xoe47IO
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
The same crew working on Jennings is also working a job in the alley behind Nash, further illustrating their efforts to juggle all they can within their zone. They’ll be back here later today to lay down some more materials in preparation for the concrete pour. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/N6eI1oOGO1
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Thermal expansion is not just a problem on thoroughfares. Crews recently repaired a section of a residential street for the same reasons. One half done. They’ll soon begin the other half. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/4hoSDsG0ue
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
This is a section of the same street that has also buckled. It’ll be where they move to next after finishing the other section. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/a4rlkHhFL2
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
When he’s not overseeing various work sites or driving around Communications staff, Mark is working through service requests to determine what needs a work order. #InTheField
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
The same crew working the Jennings alley not long ago is now on Mountain Valley repairing another “heaved” street. In this case the other side is already done. They’ll be moving on to the next job soon. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/JxJbR0u1gp
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
All Public Works jobs require a high degree of coordination with other city departments and private development. A given project or job must never impede the processes of other projects or cause undo issues for residents.
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Coordinating with Engineering is very common, as responsibilities often overlap. They communicate closely and look for opportunities to combine resources to save time and money. #InTheField
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Three of the four crews are zone-based while the fourth crew often moves around doing asphalt work on potholes. #InTheField pic.twitter.com/XHCwooV0Ph
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Asphalt repairs, however, are temporary solutions #InTheField until time and resources allow for concrete work to be performed either by the asphalt crew or the crew assigned to the zone. The fourth crew knocked out this patch of Squires recently. pic.twitter.com/LHtqMbEdm2
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
In 2018, the city contracted with a high-tech pavement analysis company to, in part, conduct a street-by-street study (not including alleys or SH121/FM423). The results indicated our street conditions are higher than the national average. #InTheField
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Public Works also utilizes capital-improvement funding to hire contractors at unit-cost, vs paying by the project. This essentially creates a fifth crew to move around #InTheField as needed.
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
#ICYMI: Residents can report issues by calling 972-624-3129, emailing pubworks@thecolonytx.gov, or clicking the “Let us know” button at https://t.co/8VpHxnunfS. #InTheField
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
Many thanks to Mark from Public Works for sharing his time & expertise with us during a very warm day #InTheField that’s only getting warmer. For more info about the department, visit https://t.co/ijILEWYowP. pic.twitter.com/q7cEoRxVXU
— City of The Colony (@TheColonyTexas) August 26, 2019
The Colony, Texas 