Patching Potholes & Repairs

Why Potholes Form

• Shifting ground: One of the main causes of pothole formation is movement in the ground that the road is built on. As the ground shifts underneath the road, the stability is lost and cracks and holes emerge.
• Wear and tear: A surface like asphalt is meant to stand up to repeated stress from heavy vehicles consistently passing over. All surfaces have their limit though, and after some time this impact compounds and contributes to pothole formation.
• Water infiltration: Another main source of potholes is when a small crack allows water in, which then widens and lengthens. This crack gradually weakens surrounding pavement and a hole forms as water carries away disintegrating material.

Fix as Soon as a Pothole is Noticed

Because these holes start off small and quickly affect everything around them, the quicker they are identified and patched, the less damage they will inflict. It is not uncommon for a pothole or two, when left unpatched, to spread and create a costly repair job on a surface that was previously in relatively good shape.

The best time to identify potholes in a surface is after a hard rain. Rain can loosen the ground underneath and around a surface, causing the previously mentioned ground shift problem. It can also enter small cracks at this time and widen them. Rain will make these problems more visible, too. Look for standing water in lower areas that are likely to become affected.