1 pothole larry schneider city of fort collins streets superintendent
TRANSCRIPT
1
POTHOLE
Larry Schneider
City of Fort Collins Streets Superintendent
Origin of the Word POTHOLE
The word POTHOLE actually came from the Irish. After boiling potatoes, they would mash the potatoes with the pot on the ground, causing a deep hole to develop.
==
Pothole Politics
• Los Angeles-– 6,000 center miles – $671 spent by individual drivers due to pothole related
damage– 2007 goal: fill 300,000 potholes
• Reality: exceeded their goal by filling 307,000
– 2009 goal: fill 350,000
• Seattle-– Mayor Greg Nickels declares a war on potholes, “fix
every pothole within 48 hours”– 2007: filled 38,215 potholes
Pothole Politics
• Honolulu-– 2008: $850,000 on 69,264 potholes
• $172,000 in claims
– 2009-2011: $70 Million on street maintenance
Pothole Politics
• New Orleans- – “Know your potholes”
• A handy-dandy pothole guide• Paint a pothole• Dress it up with Mardi Gras beads
Pothole Politics
• Rockford, Il– 2008: $1.3 million o127,127 potholes– Testing a new epoxy that crews will treat a
pothole with before they dump in the cold patch
Pothole Politics
• Colorado– Fort Collins
• 502 center miles• $170,950 • 5,000 potholes
– Greeley• 367 center miles• $160,000• 40,000 potholes
– Loveland• 324 center miles• 3,000 potholes
Pothole Politics
• Colorado-– CDOT: region 4
• 7,649 lane miles• 71,001 square yards patched• $695,566
Nicknames
Pothole Patrolman
Pothole Rangers
Pothole Killers
Pothole Posse
Pothole Patrol
Pothole Squad
Pothole Busters
Pothole Patching Playbook
• What is a pothole?
• Why do potholes occur?
• How do you patch a pothole?
• What are the best materials to use?
What is a pothole?
What is a pothole?
• A pothole is a bowl-shaped hole in the pavement surface– Minimum width of 6”
• Low-severity potholes are less than 1” deep
• Moderately severe from 1”-2” deep
• High-severity greater than 2” deep
Source: town of Queensbury NY, Highway Department; ohttp://www.queensbury.net/Highway/highway_potholes.htm
1.Potholes begin after snow or rain seeps into the soil below the road surface.
2.The moisture freezes when temperatures drop, causing the ground to expand and push the pavement up.
3.As the temperatures rise, the ground returns to normal level but the pavement often remains raised. This creates a gap between the pavement and the ground below it.
4.When vehicles drive over this cavity, the pavement surface cracks and falls into the hollow space leading to the birth of another pothole.
The formation of a pothole
Methods to patch a pothole Conventional
Throw-and-roll
Spray Patching
Semi-permanentCold mix
PermanentHot mix
Conventional• Throw-and-roll
– Cold mix– Hot mix
Requirements: Two person crew, one truck, material and shovels.
Conventional
Spray Patching
• Truck-mounted spray patcher
• Advantages-– Safety- operator doesn’t even have to
leave the cab.
– Inconvenience to traffic is minimal.
– More potholes can be repaired each day.
– Patches are longer lasting, cutting maintenance requirements in half.
– Repairs can be made in wet weather.
• 1,983.60 Hours
• $104,950
• $21.16 per pothole
• 1120.73 Hours
• $66,063
• $13.32 per pothole
4,959 Potholes Filled
Conventional Vs. Truck Spray Patcher
Conventional Vs. Spray Patcher
Spray Patching• Single joystick control• All controls accessible from cab• Excellent visibility of work area• 1-person operation• Costs less• Effective above 0o
Spray Patching
Step 1: Blow out the pothole Step 2: Tack it
Step 3: Blow material & emulsion
Step 4: Cap it with rock
Semi-permanent Patch
• Semi-permanent cold mix patch– Debris and water removed– Sides are squared up– With cold mix placed, compacted
Permanent Patch
• Permanent hot mix patch– Debris and water – removed– Sides are squared up – and tacked– Hot mix is placed and – compacted
• Which product is best suited for a particular application?
• ODOT Study– Need for cost effective and reliable materials
• 9 cold mix materials donated for laboratory testing and field evaluation
Ideal Materials for Patching Potholes
Product Specifications for Testing
• Gradation: Less than 5% of material shall pass the Number 200 sieve
• Workability: The workability number obtained by AASHTO TP40-94 shall be no less than 4
• Coating: Percent coating as determined by AASHTO TP40-94 shallbe no less than 90%
Product Specifications for Testing
• Application: Material shall be placed into a damp hole and remain in place for a minimum of 12 months under normal traffic conditions.
• Primer: Product shall not require any primer or other special preparation prior to placement in hole
Product Specifications for Testing
• Equipment: Product shall not require any special equipment for installation
• Compaction: Product shall not require any compaction requirements
• Storage: Product shall have a minimum storage life of 1 year
Product Specifications for Testing
• Workability in adverse conditions: Product shall remain workable in adverse weather conditions (prior to placement)
• Durability: Material shall be capable of being used as a permanent fix
Materials for Patching Potholes
Source: Oregon Department of Transportation; 2 year research study
Product NameManufacturer Binder Type
Bond-X Seaboard Asphalt Products Cutback
Elasti-Patch Koch Materials Cutback
HFMS-2SP/HFE-300 (control) * Albina Asphalt Emulsion
Instant Road Repair International Roadway Research N/A
King Patch Pacific Asphalt Marketing Natural Tar Sands
Optimix Cold Patch Optimix Cutback
Perma Patch National Paving & Contracting Cutback
QPR (formerly QPR 2000) ** Quality Pavement Repair Cutback
Tag 8000 Infratech Polymer Emulsion
UPM High-Performance *** United Paving Materials Cutback
* Polypatchi is the little used brand by Albina for this product
** Currently being used by Bend and Lakeview ODOT maintenance crews.
*** Currently being used by Salem and Portland maintenance crews.
Results of Patching Materials
Source: Oregon Department of Transportation; 2 year research study
Product
Number of Patches 1 mo. Evaluation
6 mo. Evaluation
12 mo. Evaluation
24 mo. Evaluation
Bond-X 4 Good Fair Fair Fair
Elasti-Patch 5 Good Fair Fair Fair
HFMS-2SP 14 Good Fair Fair Fair
Instant Road Repair 10 Fair Fair Fair Fair
King Patch 1 Poor Poor Overlaid Overlaid
Optimix 1 Good Fair No report No report
Perma Patch 8 Fair Fair Fair Fair
QPR (formerly QPR 2000) 6 Good Good Fair Fair
Tag 8000 4 Good Good Fair Fair
UPM 7 Good Fair Fair Fair
• Quality of materials is more important than method or machine
• Strategic Highway Research Program H-106
– Most extensive evaluations of pavement maintenance
– Better understanding of performance– Cost-effectiveness of various cold mix materials
• Effects of deicing materials
Quality of Material is the key!
Tips for Driving Through Potholes
• Don’t brake in a pothole
• Tires must be properly inflated to reduce the risk of damage
• Most damage occurs on exiting the pothole
• A longer pothole usually causes more damage
• CASI– EZ Street
• Envirotech– ProPatch
• Highway & Industrial Noise Solutions– Perma-Patch
