As we recognise National Pothole Day, it's essential to remember that, while preventative treatment is the preferred option, it is still crucial that road authorities can keep on top of the pothole backlog currently facing the UK.
Highways has pulled together a list of pothole repair equipment from across the sector to help those on the front lines.
For those looking to tackle multiple tasks with one machine, the JCB Pothole Pro provides a three-in-one solution that mechanises roles traditionally carried out by pothole gangs. Using three unique attachments, it removes the need for specialist equipment, allowing the operator to cut, crop and clean potholes without extra manpower, cutting the typical repair time for a pothole down to eight minutes.
Another company working hard to tackle this issue is Multevo: it has a suite of permanent repair treatments based on ‘accurate asset condition and fix-first-time best practice'.
Included in this suite of plant is a one-machine solution that recycles, rejuvenates and repairs the existing carriageway without the use of new materials; a multi-purpose machine that can tackle both potholes and their causes (such as flooding and winter maintenance); a recycled asphalt production (RAP) machine that makes use of milled asphalt waste products, and a low-carbon resurfacing machine.
Another option, which has been utilised by local authorities such as Durham, Northumberland and Westmorland and Furness, is Galvmac. As a nationwide contractor, they offer elastomac repairs with the use of a bespoke 18-tonne vehicle, which can use a carbon-saving asphalt glue (as opposed to bitumen-based material) that doesn't bleed or distort in extreme temperatures.
Along with this, Galvmac also offers site surveying and programming, line replacement during site visits and they guarantee every repair they undertake for 24 months.
Billian UK is also ready to help with its Roadmender elastomatic system, a non-invasive, eco-friendly repair process that lowers the carbon footprint of patch repairs by up to 85% due to the use of a new type of sustainable repair material that replaces fossil fuel bitumen with end-of-life waste tyres otherwise destined for incineration.
This system also removes the need to excavate and saw-cut potholes, as the material it utilises is simply poured into and over potholes, cutting down on the time needed to repair a defect.
With roughly 35 local authorities already incorporating it into their term maintenance strategies, the company is currently in the process of building its second manufacturing line in Sheffield, which it plans to use to double the number of teams it can supply.
Alternatively, you could turn to Archway and make use of it's Roadmaster spray injection patching machine, which can both prepare the pothole site and deliver a ‘computer-calibrated mixture of aggregate' directly into the road defect ‘under high velocity', which it states ensures a cost-effective, reliable solution.
With both Archway and Velocity repairing over 750,000 defects per year with their fleets, both companies make sure they can reach all parts of the road network with machines in a range of configurations and sizes, allowing them to help in both busy urban streets and remote countryside roads.
This list is of course not exhaustive - other products are available. Highways would love to hear from you if you have plant and equipment on the market. Please get in contact and we can help tackle potholes together: email g.barker@hgluk.com.
