A common approach to repairing a pavement pothole is to fill the void with asphalt concrete. If there are only a few potholes, a few bags of cold patch material from the local builder’s supply store can be use to fill the holes. Here are some tips that will make the filling perform better:
- Clean out any debris from the pothole
- Spray or pour asphalt cement from a gallon jug on the pothole sides (also from builder’s supply)
- Warm the patch material by placing in the sunlight or on the vehicle engine
- Fill the hole with the patch material – slightly overfilling
- Tampdown the patch material with a hand tamper or a mechanical compactor to make a tight, smooth finish
- If, absolutely necessary, use the vehicle tires to push down the mixture
The photograph shows potholes patched with the fill & go technique and tires were used to help compact the pothole. For this location, the throw and go approach is effective but creates an uneven pavement surface and isn’t a long-term solution.
For larger projects, Zimmer Consultants can help develop a maintenance & rehabilitation plan to get your pavements looking as good as new.
Top Photograph from Zimmer Consultants
Tamper photograph from Grainger
Mechanical tamper photograph from Wacker Neuson
