EXPERT ADVICE
As the weight of cars and trucks pass
over the weak spot in the road, pieces of
the roadway material weaken, which will
cause the material to be displaced or bro-
ken down from the weight, creating the
pothole.
How best to repair potholes?
First, be aware of some common prob-
lems that may occur during the repair.
The asphalt being added to the pothole
to make the repair is not the best quality.
Some suppliers can make a virgin gravel
mix, which is ideal. If that is not an op-
tion, make use of a rejuvenator--that is,
something that is going to restore some
of the oils and glue that have evaporated
during the asphalt pavement’s aging pro-
cess. Finding a mix with smaller rocks or
more sand is also helpful for a nice patch
repair.
Also, contributing to poor asphalt is
overheating the paved area during the re-
pair process. Anyone can set an infrared
heater on an area and walk away for a half
hour, intending to come back to two- to
three-inches of pliable asphalt. However,
what frequently happens is the top inch
of asphalt is going to be burned to a crisp
and whatever oil that was there to work
with has vanished in the heat.
To heat deeper, heat the area for four- to
five minutes and then scrape a layer off.
Then, place the heater back on for anoth-
er four- to five-minutes.
Another problem is called “push out.”
This occurs when a contractor just runs
the compactor over the repair area as
quickly and as efficiently as possible.
What is better for the patch is to pinch
the edge or run the compactor around
the edge six-inches on the old asphalt
and six-inches on the new asphalt (give or
take a measure based on the equipment).
Pinching the edge deters movement or
push out from the new, fresh asphalt.
The key to successful pothole repair is
patience. A good patch repair is a pro-
cess. If a contractor wants things to go
quickly and doesn’t care, it will show in
the results. If a contractor takes the time
and follows the proper process, the result
will be a good-looking, stable patch--but
first, the contractor needs to care. Once
someone cares about what they are doing,
they will learn the process and learn the
tricks that will allow them to be quick
and good!
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