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The city’s Public Works Department has repaired hundreds of potholes, mowed more than 1,000 miles of grass, collected more than 10,000 tons of trash and moved more than 20,000 people on Suffolk Transit.

All in three months.

Those things are among the work the department has done in the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 — from July through September.

“It was a busy three months for the department,” said Public Works Director Robert Lewis in the report, “and I would like to thank the team for their hard work and achievements. I would also like to thank the public for their patience as we make progress with capital improvement projects, such as the (U.S.) Route 58 widening project and the Lake Cohoon Bridge repairs.”

Lewis also noted the completion of Phase II of the Seaboard Coastline Trail, new routes for Suffolk Transit buses and Phase I of the Route 58 widening project. He said the next phase of the project is set to begin in spring 2022.

The report also highlighted progress on other capital improvement projects such as the intersection at Shoulders Hill and Bridge roads in North Suffolk, with right-of-way acquisition complete and utilities in the process of being relocated. The advertisement for accepting bids is scheduled for Dec. 15, with construction expected to start in spring 2022 and take about two years to complete.

Lewis also said in the report he hopes the new “Train Ahead” signs will allow drivers to change their routes to help with traffic congestion.

The report is available on the city’s website at www.suffolkva.us/240/Administration. Copies of the report are also available at the Public Works Department at 442 W. Washington St., and all Suffolk public libraries.

The city has also started a webpage devoted to broadband initiatives at www.suffolkva.us/broadband, designed to keep residents current on the city’s efforts to achieve universal broadband coverage.

A news release notes that City Council and city staff “are committed to obtaining the governor of Virginia’s goal of universal broadband coverage by 2024, focusing on the large portions of rural, outlying areas that have little to no viable internet access.”

The city says it has taken advantage of different funding opportunities such as the CARES Act, state-run grant submittals such as the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative and federally-administered provider assistance programs such as the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.

Public Works Report highlights (July through September 2021)

• 636 potholes repaired
• 1,074 service requests
• 1,178 miles of mowing, vegetation cut
• 22,162 passengers transported
• 86.4 miles of roadway markings painted
• 11,825 tons of trash collected
• 1,523 tons of recycling collected
• 4 tons of tires recycled
• 12.2 miles of litter removed
• 28,916 acres treated with adulticide
• 65,181 mosquitoes tested
• 25 West Nile virus positive mosquito pools identified
• 15 Eastern Equine Encephalitis positive mosquito pools identified
• 105 traffic signals maintained, 2 new signals installed at Bennetts Pasture Road/Sleepy Hole Road and Holland Road/Enterprise Drive