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Street Division
The Street Division of the Public Works Department is responsible for the maintenance of approximately 446 lane miles of City roadways in addition to right-of-way’s, sidewalks, alleys, curbs and gutters, independent storm sewer facilities, the landscaping of downtown and landscaped areas outside of City parks. Street Maintenance maintains more than 3,000 traffic signs and 6,000 storm inlets. This division as requested assists the Engineering Department with work associated with all City street restoration and rehabilitation coupled with Municipal Aid Program. Although lights are occasionally added to existing roadways, the majority of new lights come from new developments.
Report a Pothole Through Paducah 311
Through an app and online portal, we are enhancing the public’s experience by providing more ways to request a service, report issues, or ask a question. To report a pothole on a City street through Paducah 311, click the button link, click "Create a new Request," and select "Potholes" as the request type. Reports can be made through the app, too! Learn more about Paducah 311.
Paducah 311 - Report a Pothole
Related Code of Ordinances
Driveway Entrance Pipes (Paducah Code of Ordinances 98-33)
Winter Weather Preparation
To learn about how the Street Division prepares for winter weather including the benefits of using brine, watch the following 4-minute Paducah View video.
Frequently Asked Questions
- The City of Paducah maintains how many miles of roadway?
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The City of Paducah maintains 223 miles of roadway. In considering the number of lanes, Paducah actually ha 446 lane-miles of roadway. That number doesn’t take into account the alleys and the parking areas on the sides of some roads.
- Which roads in Paducah are maintained by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet?
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There is a misconception that if a road is within the city limits, then it is the responsibility of the City of Paducah government. Paducah has several State routes which means the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is responsible for their condition. The most highly traveled roads within the city that are the local government’s responsibility are Broadway and Jefferson Street. In general, the roads that have higher traffic volumes than Broadway or Jefferson are State routes. Some of the State routes are Kentucky Avenue, Irvin Cobb Drive, Park Avenue, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Hinkleville Road, Old Mayfield Road, Lone Oak Road/Jackson Street, Cairo Road, HC Mathis Drive, Joe Clifton Drive, and sections of 8th and 13th Streets.
- Who is responsible for keeping debris out of the curbs and gutters?
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Regarding general maintenance such as keeping debris out of the curbs and gutters and drainage ways, there is a City of Paducah code (98-31) that places the responsibility on the adjacent property owner. So that we can concentrate on the quality of the roadways, we need the help of our citizens to keep edges of roadways clean. The City encourages getting trash, leaves, and debris out of gutters and keeping weeds from growing up along the edge of the roadway and into curbs and gutters. Weeds can end up breaking the pavement, reducing the lifespan of the road.
Sec. 98-31 - Duties of abutting property owners regarding maintenance within right-of-way. The property owner shall be responsible for maintaining, in a clean and sanitary condition, the sidewalks, ditches, curbs and gutters, driveway pipes, drainage pipes and unpaved/undeveloped portion of rights-of-way abutting such premises, and for keeping the aforementioned in good repair.
- There are several traffic signals in Paducah. Who is responsible for them?
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Most of the roads in Paducah with traffic signals are State routes with the signals being the State’s responsibility. The City of Paducah is responsible for only 7 traffic signals including traffic signals on Broadway (at 9th, 13th, and 21st Streets) and on Jefferson Street (at 9th, 13th, and 17th Streets (flashing beacon)). We also have the signals at New Holt Road and Village Square Drive and James Sanders Boulevard and Pecan Drive.
- Why do some streets have blue street signs instead of green ones?
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The idea comes from Lexington to designate private roads with blue signs. If a road is private, it is owned by one or more citizens, and they are responsible for its maintenance and rehabilitation. The City encourages folks who are moving to a location to ask their realtor, check the plat, or ask their title attorney about the status of their roadway. We have had several citizens who bought property and didn’t realize they now live on a private road. Usually we get calls after it snows because the City snow plows do not take care of private roads.
One of the main reasons why a road stays private is that a subdivision developer did not build the road to City standards. Usually, the City will take over a roadway after the developer completes it to City standards. If it is not to City standards, then it remains the responsibility of the developer or the adjacent property owners via a homeowners’ association (HOA).
- What is the process for repairing a pothole?
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Since potholes can show up anytime, the repair process depends upon the time of year. If a pothole needs repairing between November and early April, we use an asphalt-based product called “cold mix.” It’s scooped into the pothole and packed down. It’s not intended to be a permanent fix. The goal of this product is to keep the pothole under control until warmer weather when it can be more thoroughly addressed. We have all seen potholes repaired with cold mix that crumbles into tiny pieces just weeks later. Once the asphalt plants open usually in early April, we can repair a pothole with hot mix. We determine the limits of the roadway deterioration and cut out an area larger than the original pothole. Then, we totally restore the area and use the hot mix, a more permanent solution.
- How are streets selected for rehabilitation?
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The City of Paducah Engineering Department develops the street rehabilitation plan. For more information, visit Streets and Right-of-Way.
