How to Repair Potholes and Patches on Roads?

In this article, we will discuss how to repair potholes and patches on roads.

Patching may be defined as the process of filling potholes or damaged regions of asphalt pavements. Potholes and other pavement deterioration should be fixed as soon as possible to control further damage and costly pavement maintenance.

  1. How to Repair Potholes and Patches on Roads?  

The restoration of the bituminous road contains the following steps that need to be carried out:

a. Disposal of all damaged material of the pavement courses until the root cause of the failure is determined.

b. Cutting of the excavated sides to give a firm vertical face.

c. Substitute of material with the standard which was initially specified for the pavement layer.

d. Painting of tack coat onto the sides and bases of excavations prior to putting any bituminous materials.

e. Compaction and finishing of the surfaces of all patches to construct a velvety continuous surface, level with the surrounding road.

f. Now, the road can be opened for public use.

  2. Preparation of the Region for Pothole and Patch Repair  

The preparation of the region for pothole and patch repair is as follows: 

a. Pothole and patch repair zones shall be checked, and all loose material shall be dismissed.

b. The zone shall be removed either with jackhammers or with hand tools, such that all the defective material responsible for the failure is cleared and in regular shape.

c. The excavation pit zone must be trimmed vertically.

d. The zone shall be thoroughly cleaned with compressed air to clear all dust and loose particles.

e. The layers below the level of the bituminous construction must be returned with material that meets the same specifications as the original construction, containing the needed compaction standards.

f. Relying on whether the lower region is bituminous or granular, the region for bituminous construction will be stapled or primed with cutback or emulsion.

g. The sides should be painted with hot tack coat material.

  3. Types of Road Maintenance  

There are four types of road maintenance. They are:

a. Routine Maintenance

Small-scale maintenance work conducted regularly is called routine maintenance.

It includes:

1. Sweeping of road

2. Cutting of the grasses

3. Minor reshaping of the ditches.

b. Recurrent Maintenance

Maintenance operation of a localized nature of a limited extent carried out at an interval of several months or years is called recurrent maintenance.

It includes:

1. Edges repair

2. Local Re-construction.

3. Pothole Patching.

c. Periodic Maintenance

Maintenance operation to a large extent conducted at the interval of several years is called periodic maintenance.

It includes:

1. Re-surfacing of road

2. Repairing of the railing of bridge and culverts

3. Repairing of Earth Retaining Wall

4. Repairing the Parapet wall

d. Emergency Maintenance

Maintenance operation conducted after 10 years of construction or in an emergency condition is called emergency maintenance.

It is carried out under the following urgent conditions:

1. Road Washout

2. Collapse of the culvert

3. Road blocked by the landslide

4. Settlement of road to a high extent.