Why Potholes Form and How They Should Be Repaired
Potholes are a symptom. Filling the hole without addressing the cause guarantees you will be filling it again next spring.
The mechanism
Water enters through a crack, saturates the aggregate base, then freezes and expands. The pavement above loses support, traffic loads break it apart, and the hole opens rapidly.
Throw-and-go vs. full-depth
Cold patch tossed into a wet hole is a temporary fix measured in weeks. A full-depth repair saw-cuts a square boundary, removes material to sound base, recompacts, tacks the vertical faces and places hot mix in lifts.
Prevention
Crack sealing, functioning drainage and periodic sealcoating prevent nearly all pothole formation on private pavement.
Questions about your own pavement?
We give free on-site assessments across Newark and Essex County.
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