Streets

Maintenance

The City of Northfield provides for the maintenance of city streets, including patching, seal coating, street sweeping, traffic control signals / signage, streetlights, storm sewer maintenance, and snow removal.

Street repair

The Streets Division is responsible for maintaining more than 75 lane miles of hard surface. Routine maintenance of the streets reduces the number of repairs required.

Scheduled maintenance programs include removal and replacement work, crack sealing, sealcoating and overlays. The goal is to patch and maintain areas to provide a safe street network throughout the City. An integral part of the road maintenance is the Pavement Management Program. The Pavement Management Program is administered by the Engineering Department.

Blacktop patch and repair

The repair of the typical "pothole”, in the roadway is related to structural failure of the base and pavement. Repair can involve the removal and replacement of the roadway or the pothole is cleaned out and filled with asphalt. These areas occur in all parts of town and are repaired in early to late spring.

Concrete street, sidewalk & curb and gutter repair

Concrete streets, sidewalks, and curb and gutter constructed in the right-of-way are repaired and maintained by the Street Division. The Street Division prioritizes the concrete street, curb and gutter and sidewalk repair based on functionality, tripping hazards and the overall state of disrepair.  If you have a concrete concern, please call Street & Park Manager Tim Behrendt at 507-645-3027.

Crack seal

Bituminous or blacktop pavement by design is flexible to accommodate the freeze/thaw cycle of our climate. Subsequently, cracking will occur in relatively new pavement and continue throughout its life due to age, traffic, weather and more. Crack sealing is the placement of a rubberized sealant in the crack that will provide a protective coating and seal out water.

Sealcoat

Sealcoating is the surface application of an asphalt emulsion followed by the placement of small graded aggregate. This coating is wear-resistant and protects pavements from oxidation and the effects of moisture. It puts a new wear surface on the pavement to protect the blacktop and extend the life of the road.

Mill & overlay

This process includes grinding the old surface to make the pavement uniform and then adding a new hot-mix overlay. An overlay is a structural improvement which renews the street surface and extends the life cycle of the original pavement. This treatment is used on both good roads and very bad roads. Good roads get a mill and overlay bad roads typically get a thin overlay to keep roadway safe until it can be reconstructed.