Syracuse's self-contained operation maintains miles: maintaining the city streets for a community that's exposed to harsh winter conditions and an aging utility system requires a knowledgeable paving approach.(PAVING INNOVATIONS)(Cover Story)

If anyone knows the intricacies of the 410-lanemile municipal street system in Syracuse, NY, it's Phil Wright, superintendent of the Department of Public Works' Bureau of Street Repair. The 35-year street veteran is in charge of managing an annual $5.5-million budget and a crew of 45.

Syracuse's Bureau of Street Repair is responsible for patching potholes and road reconstruction, which includes milling old asphalt, producing and placing new hot mix asphalt, preserving good streets, and installing (through a subcontractor) granite curbing (which holds up better to the heavy plow action required to clear the streets of 125-plus inches of snow each winter).

From April 1 to November 15, Wright's crew is busy reconstructing streets and from November 15 to April 1, they're busy plowing snow. Syracuse has two classifications of streets--improved and unimproved. Improved streets have curbing, while unimproved streets don't. Unimproved streets, which account for approximate …