Work performed by Street Division crews on NCDOT right-of-ways is done as a cooperative effort with NCDOT acknowledging that most citizens do not differentiate between a City problem and an NCDOT problem. There is little recognition by the public regarding the issue of City-maintained streets versus state-maintained streets. Citizens just want the problem corrected. Historically, the City's approach has been to correct minor issues requiring minimal effort and cost since our crews are generally nearby and NCDOT crews may be spread throughout Alamance County. This allows minor items to be corrected more quickly.
When citizens contact the Public Works Department or the Street Division regarding maintenance issues on either City streets or NCDOT streets, the Street Division investigates the reported problem - often the same day it is reported. Requests received at the end of the workday or after hours are investigated the next business day, unless regarded as a potentially serious problem. Street Division staff correct relatively minor (expected to take 15-30 minutes or less), low-cost problems upon investigation. Examples include broken glass in the street, small potholes, or minor drainage issues such as leaves blocking a grate. The Street Division will cut downed trees and remove them from the street to restore traffic flow, but will notify NCDOT for cleanup.
More complex and costly problems are referred to NCDOT via phone and email. In the event of a cave-in or other serious safety issue, the Street Division will barricade the opening while we are in the process of contacting DOT. During street flooding events, NCDOT is contacted. Our crews may implement temporary corrective measures to maintain traffic flow, if possible.
Reports of street light outage or requests for new streetlights are forwarded to the Transportation and Technical Services Department, which coordinates these requests with Duke Energy. The Transportation and Technical Services Department tracks these requests.
The phone numbers to report street maintenance or street light issues are linked from the City’s home page under the “How do I…?” link. These numbers have also been advertised in City Works. These issues may also may be reported via the CBC program either by mail, phone (222-5024), or on-line (BurlingtonNC.gov/CBC).