Asphalt Paving and Sealcoat  Blog

Potholes and Uneven Pavement Surfaces are a Liability

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Potholes and uneven pavement surfaces cause pedestrian accidents, as well as motorcycle and bicycle crashes that could have been avoided if the pavement was properly maintained. Injuries can range from small scrapes, cuts and gashes to traumatic head injuries, broken bones, and back and neck injuries.

Property owners are held liable for these sorts of damages, as they are responsible for maintaining their pavement surfaces. 

How to fix potholes and uneven pavement surfaces quickly:

Both of these issues are best handled with removal of the affected area and replacement patching with new materials.

Potholes

Since potholes are generally caused by a failed base course, the old asphalt and base materials must be removed. Then, a new base course is added back and compacted, followed by a new layer of compacted asphalt.

While asphalt patching is the best long-term solution, a quicker fix would be to simply fill the pothole with cold-patch asphalt. Please note that this is only recommended in case of emergency because the patch is very temporary and it's durability is unpredictable (in some cases, it may only last a day or so).

Sunken Concrete Panels

Sunken concrete panels signify that the base course has weakened and needs to be replaced. Similar to asphalt patching, the old materials are removed, and replaced with new, compacted layers of base course and concrete.

Again, there is a faster and more cost effective solution to this problem - the concrete slabs that are not sunken in can be grinded down until the surface is flush. Since this does not address the cause of the problem, it will only be a temporary solution until the sunken panel lowers more, and is therefore not recommended.

Lifted Asphalt and Concrete Panels

Lifted asphalt and concrete panels are often the result of tree roots growing in under the pavement. The long-term solution includes removal and replacement, in addition to clipping tree roots or containing them with root barriers. Alternatively, the surface can be grinded down for a shorter-term solution.