Mayor Richard Thomas’ Clean and Green Initiative Means Cleaner, Greener, and Smoother Streets for Mount Vernon

Mayor Richard Thomas’ Clean and Green Initiative continues with the successful introduction of an innovative approach to paving roads with Hot-Asphalt. Hot-Asphalt is a new technology that incorporates recycled asphalt into new paving resulting in smooth streets at a cost that is 60 percent lower than traditional paving technology.

These savings are critical as the Thomas Administration has expanded its paving project year after year. In 2017, the city paved 34,794 square yards of roads. This year to date, the city has already paved 43,452 square yards and expects to double that number by the end of the year.

“Smooth streets are one of the most basic quality of life conditions that Mount Vernon residents, business owners, and visitors deserve,” said Mayor Thomas. “Since I took office, we made it a priority to improve quality of life in The City of Mount Vernon, and to date, crime is down, home values are up, the economy is growing by double-digits, and we’re continuing to improve our roadways by finding new and innovative ways to maximize our paving dollars. Mount Vernon is becoming a leader in efficient and effective infrastructure management.”

The Clean and Green approach has proved to be more environmentally-friendly at a much lower cost. Using recycled materials is a huge cost savings for the city. New asphalt has a lifespan of about 10 years, while recycled will last about seven. But the Clean and Green approach includes paving over the recycled asphalt with one inch of new asphalt on top, giving them an even longer lifespan than new material because the combined thickness of the two layers will be thicker and more durable than standard paving.

How much money are taxpayers saving by this new method? The projected cost for the repaving project in 2018 is only $300,000. Thanks to the Clean and Green approach, that’s just over 1/4th of last year’s total bill.

The stretch from North 6th Avenue to South MacQuesten Parkway was paved last week as part of Phase 1 of the project. Phase 2 will include the intersection of Stevens and Lincoln Avenues and the top coat of new asphalt along the whole stretch. Just one of the areas included in the 2018 paving plan.

The paving season will continue in Mount Vernon until about October 1st, but the city has also taken a new innovative approach to how it treats potholes. Pothole repair typically included a truck full of cold patch and a worker to stamp it down by hand. This year the Administration purchased a “gently-used” highway repair truck and a roller. This means that the city can now mill and pave sections of roadways instead of just filling holes one by one, and with hot asphalt, road repair can go on throughout the winter.

Mayor Richard Thomas

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At 33, Richard Thomas is the youngest Mayor in Mount Vernon history! (2016–2019) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MayorRichardThomas