Winter weather wreaks havoc on Britain’s malnourished roads. A lack of investment, plus the impact of ice, snow and water leaves some road surfaces resembling the surface of the moon.
According to the RAC Pothole Index, drivers are now 50 percent more likely to suffer a pothole-related breakdown than when the organisation first began collecting data in 2006.
Potholes cost Britain’s motorists £4 billion in repairs every year. Hit one, and you risk damaging the car’s wheels, tyres, steering, suspension or bodywork. You can click here to learn how to claim compensation for pothole damage.
A company called Roadmender Asphalt has developed an Elastomac product that is being trialled with councils. It’s a flowable repair material made from recycled products, which welds itself to the road and delivers a totally waterproof permanent repair.
The company says that by eliminating the need to excavate the patch, the process requires 80 percent less material, with no waste to carry away. Contractors are able to complete five times more patches a day.
The hole story
Roads are constructed in layers. The top layer is water-resistant and curved to drain water off the road. Over time, cracks appear due to the stresses caused by traffic, but also through constant heating and cooling. The road expands during the day, but contracts overnight.
These small cracks allow water to seep below the surface and into the underlying layers of the road. During cold nights, the water freezes and expands. This ice thaws during the day, with the water flowing into a different section of the road. The pavement contracts and leaves gaps in the surface, where water can be trapped.
Traffic causes these cracks to widen, allowing even more water to seep in and freeze during the night. This constant freeze-thaw cycle weakens the road surface. As the material breaks down, a pothole is formed.
The UK ranks 37th out of 141 countries on the World Economic Forum’s road quality index. To combat the pothole problem, the government enlisted the help of delivery companies to create a pothole map of the UK.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “I want our roads to be as safe as possible, so during the lockdown we resurfaced hundreds of miles of road. But I want to go further by identifying critical potholes and ensuring these are fixed as quickly as possible.
“We’re teaming up with delivery companies, who know the roads well, in order to map out where remaining potholes exist and then relentlessly target them with our record £2.5 billion pothole repair fund. Better road surfaces benefit motorists and cyclists alike ensuring the back to school and work environment is safer for everyone.”
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