Image Credit: ODOT District 11
A new technology that provides a cheaper, faster and more lasting way to fill potholes has been tested out in an Ohio district and may soon be implemented throughout the state. The Ohio Department of Transportation first started using the machine one year ago and has saved over $21,000 since its implementation.
Traditionally, potholes are filled by shoveling and pouring hot asphalt from heavy trucks, a lengthy process that can only be done in the warmer months. This new method, however, can fill and pave a pothole in 30 minutes and can do so year-round. The pavement sprayer cleans the hole with pressurized air, and then sprays it first with tar and then with a gravel aggregate. ODOT’s District 100 highway management administrator, Tom Corey, told GovTech that this method results in a “clean, dry hole.”
People using new equipment must be trained specifically to do so, and during the pilot phase the company DuraPatcher handled training. The ODOT plans to assume training responsibilities when the product is used on a larger scale, however.
[via GovTech]
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