About Potholes

Potholes are holes in the roadway caused by excessive wear. Invariably, potholes occur in the main stretch of the vehicle travel lanes and are very hard to avoid. Potholes have ragged edges and tend to be up to 6 inches deep. Typically, potholes damage the upper layer of roadway without affecting the underlying concrete base.

Causes

Potholes are caused by water seeping into the cracks of a roadway. This seepage slowly undermines the integrity of the road surface. Cracks in the road surface tend to form in areas where tires most frequently meet the pavement in travel lanes. In addition, stress to the roadway from heavy traffic weakens the asphalt road base. Once the roadway is weakened, cracks form in the pavement allowing rainwater to seep in. A hard winter also can cause cracking of the asphalt surfacing. Repeated episodes of freezing and thawing expands and contracts any water inside the roadway cracks. The intense heat from the hot summer sun can also weaken the pavement of a heavily traveled roadway. Both can cause an increase in the width of the cracks, which ultimately results in the collapse of a small section of road. Once the collapse happens, a pothole is born.

Features

Potholes tend to be round but can take on just about any shape imaginable. The major difference between a pothole and its much larger cousin, the sinkhole, is that a pothole doesn't undermine the underlying concrete base of a road. Sinkholes, on the other hand, are a complete collapse of the roadbed, including the underlying ground layers.

Repair

Weather greatly affects pothole repair. In the summer, repair crew use a hot asphalt patch to replace the missing pavement. All debris and old asphalt is removed and hot asphalt is placed in the pothole and smoothed into the proper form. This fills in the hole and adheres to the underlying concrete base. In addition to repairing potholes, crews will also repair roadway cracks to help prevent future potholes from forming. Cold weather pothole repair differs greatly. Hot asphalt cannot be used because it will not cure in low temperatures. Instead, repair crews use a resurfacing material called cold mix. Cold mix is composed of material similar to asphalt that forms a solid and dependable patch. Repair crews also revisit these cold patch areas in warmer months to check for any maintenance needs.

Considerations

Road maintenance crews check the roadway for any drainage problems to determine if there are any remedies to prevent pothole formation. Standing water is the primary cause for roadway cracking. Curbs and drainage ditches are checked for blockages and reassessed during times of heavy rain. Evaluating the entire drainage system of a road helps prevent recurrent potholes and subsequent damage to vehicles.

Warning

Water filled, snow filled or ice filled potholes can damage the rims and tires of a car. It is important to check the road during stressful weather conditions carefully to give yourself time to avoid hitting a pothole. Driving directly through a pothole is a jarring, noticeable event. Many news stations now post pothole reports on their websites in addition to reporting these driving hazards on their newscasts. Of course, if you do hit a pothole, make sure to note it's location and contact your state or county road repair agency with a report.