In light of National Pothole Day on the 15th January, the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA) is making a ‘call for action’ for local highway authorities to review their maintenance strategies, and to improve their knowledge and understanding of surface treatments, including awareness of the appropriate times to use them based on road condition, to prevent future formation of potholes.
The RSTA has promoted the adoption of preventative maintenance strategies in line with ‘sustainable asset management’ (quoted recently in the DfT local authority funding announcement), supported by timely interventions using preservation/rejuvenation, surface dressing or micro surfacing (including CAUTS for 250> cv/d).
These treatments seal the road, to prevent the damaging effects of water ingress, that accelerates the rate of deterioration, resulting in unpredictable and expensive (potholes and eventually making the road unserviceable.
A preventive maintenance strategy offers a significant carbon saving, especially when compared through a whole lifecycle comparison over a 60/90 year period (timescale dependant on traffic volumes) of up to 76%, in which time, the road would remain in better condition.
Similar cost savings over this same, longer term period could be up to 66%.
There has been much discussion about the additional £billions of extra funding required, but a revised maintenance strategy with a balance of early life preventative maintenance with that of end of life replacement, will make better use of available highway maintenance funding.
The RSTA seeks to promote permanent solutions to potholes, either through permanent patching, instead of focussing on intervention only defects with poor quality repairs. This include methods of spray injection, thermal, screed and conventional patching, but also correct installations around ironwork.
Recent updates in technology will support programmes of capital planned patching work.
The RSTA has a catalogue of case studies which can be shared with local authorities requiring a better understanding of these methods.
But also for roads riddled with potholes caused potentially by poor drainage, failing untreated material, poor construction depths, to consider more permanent solutions such as asphalt resurfacing (consider options of geosynthetic layers to reduce the thickness of asphalt reinstated), or alternative recycling methods, which include both in situ and ex situ, which repurposes existing material to form a sound base, on which to lay a new surface.
Mike Hansford, Chief Executive of the RSTA said “if we’re going to really improve this pothole situation, and at the same time impact on our carbon footprint to meet the Government’s net zero targets, a fundamental change has to be made in the industry, which should include use of these preventative treatments, combined with recycled asphalt products and/or geosynthetic layers.”
Local highway authorities already adopting these preventative treatments and alternative materials/methods are reporting positive outcomes linked to management of road condition and public satisfaction.
The RSTA is continuing to promote these messages through an upcoming preservation/rejuvenation campaign, with a supporting website.
The RSTA will also be hosting a number of ‘lunch and learn’ type sessions on Teams, for local authorities to develop a better understanding of these treatments.
Local authorities are encouraged to make direct contact with the RSTA for any support required to review their current approach, or make the case for revised strategies or specific treatments.