POTHOLE REPAIR METHODS

What Your Are Doing. And Why It (Probably) Isn't Working

A majority of municipals use what is known as the "throw and go" method. Which is exactly as it sounds patch material is shoveled from the back of a dump truck and thrown into the repair area and onto the next repair the crew goes. So why doesn't the throw and go method work? Couple of reasons. First, if you are using a dump truck to haul asphalt, that asphalt is loosing heat as soon as you leave the asphalt plant. By the time you get to the repair area, the asphalt is well below recommended application temperature. By the end of the day is probably rock hard and unusable. Secondly, crews often fail to do any prep work like cleaning the hole and drying any moisture out. Lastly there is no compaction. For asphalt to bond with the existing asphalt there has to be some sort of compaction after the material is applied.

Throw and Go

$35-45 per pothole

2-3 Minutes per Repair

Low Reliability

Semi-Permanent

$40-50 per Pothole

5-7 Minutes per Repair

High Reliability

Spray Injection

$55-65 per Pothole

5-7 Minutes Per Repair

Medium Reliability

Throw and go in the most common pothole repair method and is exactly what it sounds like. Patch crews place hotmix asphalt or cold patch in a hole and go. This method traditionally does not include any prep work or any compaction methods, other than maybe driving over it with a truck tire. Although throw and go is the most common method and the cheapest, it is the least effective out of the pothole repair methods, and in most cases requires the area to repaired multiple times. Although lower in cost keep in mind that multiple trips will most likely have to be made to re repair the same area.

Semi-Permanent is the process of prepping the repair area which would include removing any debris and/or drying the repair area of any moisture. Applying asphalt material into the repair area, preferably hotmix asphalt but cold patch can be used in emergency situations. When using hot mix asphalt it is important to keep in mind the material MUST be applied at the recommended application temperature of 300-350 degree F. The final step of this process would be compaction. with a plate compactor, or other compaction device.

Spray injection patching is done using a specialized machine that disperses a combination of asphalt emulsion and fine aggregate and is applied to the repair area via a large hose. A spray injection patching machine may have a large compressor on it that will allow you to clean and air dry the repair area prior to placing material. This method although relatively effective can be costly in upfront equipment costs as well as reoccurring material cost. Although this repair method is suitable for some municipals the process is heavily dependent on equipment and material availability.