Potholes are an annoyance that many of us are all too aware of. Most of us have experienced the difficulty of navigating around potholes as we go about our daily lives and commutes either by vehicle or on foot.

Whether there are holes in our roads, sidewalks, or driveways a pothole is an annoying part of life. Unfortunately, these are not only annoying – potholes can be dangerous too! They can cause damage to vehicles, tires, and road users, and when potholes form on sidewalks or in our yards they can cause people to trip, fall, and hurt themselves. But what is it that causes these potholes to appear?

Common Causes Of Potholes

There are a few common problems that can lead to potholes but the most common cause is the weather! Or more specifically rain and temperature changes. Once a pothole has formed if left unchecked it can grow and grow until it is a big problem.

Freezing Weather

One of the most common causes of potholes in asphalt is colder temperatures, more specifically the temperature change between a freeze and a thaw. Rain can seep into the asphalt and if there is a freeze it freezes, causing the water to expand and form wedges that drive between areas of the asphalt. This can then cause weakened areas and cracks in the asphalt. This then drives the asphalt apart causing larger cracks and weakened areas. When you add traffic driving or walking over these weaker areas the surface becomes compromised and starts to damage further. This leads to potholes starting to form.

Heat Deterioration

It isn’t just the cold that can cause damage in our roads and sidewalks, hot weather plays its part too! Heat can deteriorate the surface which allows cracks to form. Water can then seep into the asphalt surface which causes erosion to happen to the asphalt just below the surface. Vehicles or a lot of foot traffic passing over these cracks causes the surface to sink on the damaged areas and then the asphalt starts to crack and crumble leaving you with difficult potholes to navigate.

Drainage Issues

Water is one of the biggest things that causes potholes to form and a road or driveway with poor drainage is likely to suffer from pothole formation more than others. Water seeping into cracks is the biggest problem as in cooler temperatures it then freezes and causes damage or in hotter temperatures the water causes deterioration in the asphalt which allows for further damage and deterioration.

Poor Maintenance

If asphalt surfaces are not taken care of then they are far more likely to form the cracks and weak spots that allow water in. Preventative maintenance can go a long way in helping this problem and stop issues from starting to occur in the first place.

How to Fix Potholes

Potholes might be unsightly, difficult, damaging to vehicles, and even dangerous but they are also easily fixed with the right knowledge, skills, and materials. So what is the solution to a pothole problem?

The solution often depends on the size, shape, depth, and type of pothole you are dealing with but there is a solution for every pothole.

Larger Potholes

For particularly badly damaged roads and sidewalks it may be necessary to resurface the road. This will be necessary if the road has reached the point where there is so much underlying damage that patching will only be a very short term solution before more potholes appear or bigger problems start to happen. A survey of the area might be needed and tailored advice given on the solution to your problem.

Smaller Potholes

For smaller potholes, you can often patch them with a good asphalt mix. The pothole needs cleaning first softening the area and even making the hole slightly bigger as you take out more damaged materials. Then you can patch the area with new asphalt. This is often a hot asphalt mix which helps the new asphalt bond with the old. You might need some help to choose the right mix and tools for the job but there is help available for this. Once the asphalt has cooled you can remove any debris and you are ready to go!

When looking to have your potholes repaired it is always worth getting industry advice on the best way to go about it safely and with success. The process isn’t necessarily difficult but it can go wrong and having some expert advice is always the best way to get a long-lasting pothole repair completed.