Innovative methods we employ to help repair potholes
Roads in Northumberland are not unique in suffering from
numerous defects including potholes and
their repair needs to be prioritised and carefully managed to
ensure roads are safe. As budgets have
decreased over time, it has become increasingly important to use
innovative methods to improve
productivity and resilience.
Area based internal resources with local knowledge manage the
repair of defects across the County.
Our local managers meet with local parish and town councils on a
quarterly basis, as well aselected
Members, to effective communication and to enable local
priorities to be reflected in our
programme.
Various methods are available for fixing the defects and no
single technique can provide a countywide solution. A key aim of
our maintenance strategy is to be to make our roads more resilient.
The range of techniques currently employed to address the backlog
includes:
NEAT teams (rapid response unit) dedicated crews utilised to
provide a rapid response in dealing with hazardous defects in a
timely manner. These are short term temporary repairs that help
manage risks and reduce claims using cold fill processes.
Road Mender Hired vehicles utilised to carry out temporary
repairs using hot material. This technique provides longer lasting
repairs (approaching 2 years) and is capable of addressing larger
areas.
In late 2013, Northumberland County Council invested in two
Jetpatcher vehicles to assist in the management of potholes in
predominately rural areas. The vehicles provide a cost effective
process for carrying out repairs, and involves clearing the pothole
with compressed air, tack coating, filling the pothole with a
mixture of aggregate and bitumen and finally covering the mix with
a thin layer of aggregate. The pot hole repair can be driven on
immediately and forms a hard long lasting repair within 30
minutes.
These repairs can last up to two years and the jetpatcher cost
of repairing a pothole equates to approximately 12 - 16 per
pothole. The national average cost for a pothole repair, using
traditional hot tar methods, is in the region of 52.
The Jetpatcher is quick, efficient and less labour intensive. A
review of the defects repaired by this method over the last 6
months has shown the repairs are more effective, longer lasting,
less expensive and better value for money.
Local towns and parishes support this method and a lot of
positive press coverage and compliments have been received. We are
currently arranging to trial a new type of jetpatcher in June 2014,
which is single man operated and the repair can be undertaken
without the operative leaving the cab. This would further reduce
labour costs associated with the process and provide further
savings. Our Latest Initiative
