Niagara Falls City Council Reverses Course, Brings Back Pothole Killer

Screenshot from WGRZ

After weeks of debate and a previously deadlocked vote, the Niagara Falls City Council narrowly approved a dual-approach plan aimed at tackling the city’s widespread pothole issues. In a 3-2 vote during Wednesday’s meeting, the council authorized a $200,470 initiative that includes bringing back the “Pothole Killer” machine and paying for overtime work by the Department of Public Works (DPW) road crew.

Council Chair James Perry (D), along with Councilmembers Traxi Bax (R) and David Zajac (R), supported the measure, while Councilmembers Donta Myles (D) and Brian Archie (D) remained opposed, citing concerns about cost and effectiveness.

The approved plan, proposed by Mayor Robert Restaino, calls for contracting Patch Management Inc. to deploy its Pothole Killer truck. The city will pay $99,600 for the truck, operator, and 100 tons of asphalt with funds pulled from the city’s Tribal Revenue reserves.

In addition to the machine, the plan includes allocating $100,870 in tribal funds to cover overtime costs for DPW workers. Over a span of 21 days, city crews will work an additional four hours per day to perform traditional hot asphalt patching, which is considered more durable than the Pothole Killer’s spray technique.

Council Chair Perry described the two-pronged approach as a test to evaluate which repair method delivers better results. “This is something different this year — let’s see what works,” he said.

However, not all council members were convinced.

Councilman Archie expressed frustration with what he called “front-loading the overtime,” saying, “I want the potholes fixed too, but I don’t think this is the right way.”

Myles, who also voted against the plan, criticized the lack of data supporting the machine’s effectiveness.

“We’ve seen these streets. If the machine hasn’t worked before, why would we expect different results now?” he asked.

Mayor Restaino stressed the urgency of the repairs, warning that without action now potholes may remain unaddressed as the road crew shifts to the city’s scheduled paving and street repairs in the spring and summer months.

“We only have one road crew,” he said. “Once they move to repaving, pothole work stops.”

The city has yet to announce when the Pothole Killer will be deployed, which streets will be prioritized, or how many potholes are expected to be repaired.

Niagara Falls City Council Reverses Course, Brings Back Pothole Killer