Potholes - your questions answered

Following the worst weather in 30 years and the enormous impact this has had on the surfaces of the highways, Hampshire County Council and its highways maintenance contractor Amey, have sprung into action to fix Hampshire’s roads.  Now 50 gangs of Pothole Busters are working flat out across Hampshire.

Here are answers to the questions that  are asked most often about potholes.

Why are there more potholes in Hampshire this winter?

There are potholes right across the country - but more have formed this winter as a result of the prolonged severe weather during December and January. Many roads were covered in snow and ice for several weeks.

What effect has the snow and ice had on the road surfaces?

Potholes and road defects are created by water getting into the surface of the road through cracks usually caused by traffic.  When temperatures plummet, the water freezes and expands, causing the surface to break up.  When the ice melts it leaves a space below the surface, which collapses under the weight of traffic and eventually forms a pothole.  The repeated freeze-thaw effect this winter has made more potholes form much more quickly.

What’s the difference between a pothole and an edge defect?

Potholes happen when the road surface breaks up to expose the layers beneath. Traffic is one factor but the main cause is water freezing and thawing during the winter. Although road and footway surfaces are all porous, water builds up on the surface. This creates pressure and results in holes forming from below. Potholes can develop very quickly  and it is often impossible to predict where they will appear, although there may be regular patterns on some road sections. Potholes do not mean there’s a problem with the road construction, but if they’re not repaired the surface will get progressively worse.

Edge defects are different from potholes because they’re caused by vehicles driving on the edge of the road and damaging the surface. The edge (or haunch) is the most vulnerable part of the road as it gets the highest variation in traffic weight and water, as well as reduced support due to the softer verge. Edge defects are most common in rural areas of the county.

How do we decide which potholes to fix first?

Safety is always the priority.  When it’s not possible to carry out immediate repairs because of other hazards or long term flooding, we may use temporary signs and barriers to divert vehicles around the defect.  Highways engineers inspect each defect and decide which ones need to be treated as a priority.  Highways defects fall into one of the following categories:

Emergency defects which are made safe within two hours – these repairs may be temporary to make the road safe with permanent repairs being made later.

Defects which are not emergencies become part of the maintenance programme and are repaired within two months.

Larger or more complex works (such as major resurfacing of roads or pavements) are generally programmed separately.

What is the difference between a temporary and a permanent repair?

A typical permanent repair would see a rectangular area cut out of the road around the pothole with a diamond bladed saw giving the repair clean, flush sides. The hole is cleaned out and painted with liquid bituminous binder. The hole is then filled with a hot bitumen-bound material which is raked and finally compacted mechanically.

A temporary repair is a short term measure to make the road safe which involves using a deferred set cold material to fill the hole until a permanent repair can take place

Are temporary repairs a false economy?

Emergency repairs may well be of a temporary nature until a permanent repair can be carried out  but this is not a false economy; the important thing is to make the road safe for users until the permanent repair can be made.

How do you do the repairs?

Pothole Busters will be using a range of techniques hot patching which is used for larger areas; verge repairs which are carried out by infilling with compacted limestone and topsoil; and jetpatching.  This high speed patching machine is effective in places with numerous defects and can fix up to 2000 potholes in a week.  It works by blasting potholes with hot air to remove debris and then spraying in a mixture of bitumen and aggregate under pressure which fills and seals it.  The whole process takes only a few minutes and the road is ready for traffic immediately afterwards.

How long does it take to fix a pothole?

This depends on the size and nature of the pothole or defect.  

Will you have to close any roads while you carry out pothole repairs?

It is very likely that this will be the case.  The extent of the damage on the road surface caused by the snow is so great that roads all over the county are affected.  Some narrower rural roads with higher speed limits may need to be closed while repairs are carried out to keep the workforce and road users safe.  Road closures are less likely to be needed on urban roads where speed limits are 30mph or below, and where it is possible to complete the work by sectioning off an area of the road.

We  try wherever possible not to close the road, and carry out repairs using temporary traffic controls (for example Stop/Go boards).  However, it’s inevitable that pothole repairs will sometimes mean closing a road while the work is done.

If the road is narrow, or the work is on a bend, the safety of workers, road users and pedestrians means we need to close the road for health and safety reasons.  When a road is closed, we will try to keep disruption to a minimum and open the road during peak travelling hours.

Are the potholes worse in certain areas of the county?

It is too early to tell – we are currently assessing the situation across Hampshire.

Is pothole patching just a quick fix?  What about the long term?

In emergency situations a quick repair will be done, followed by a permanent repair depending on the circumstances.

Can’t you just resurface all the roads and prevent potholes forming at all?

It would be impossible to eliminate potholes, as they appear randomly all the time. The Pothole Busters programme aims to target priority areas across the county.  However, potholes will continue to develop as roads get older and these will be repaired as part of our normal maintenance programme.

The only way to cut down on new defects emerging is more complete resurfacing, and, with 5,280 miles of roads at a cost of approximately £150,000 per mile, this would be an unaffordable option for Hampshire’s taxpayers without much more funding from central Government to maintain our roads.

How much does it cost to fix one pothole?

On average between £50 and £65.  About £1,000 for 43 square metres of road.

How are you going to fund all these repairs?

We are redeploying existing budgets, reassessing priorities and considering how best to use the 2010/11 budget overall.

How do you know where the worst ones are?

All highways are inspected for safety defects and the frequency of these depends on a number of factors, such as how much the road is used. Of course it is possible for pot hole defects to occur between inspections and reports from the public are very helpful  so that we can prioritise these and deal with the defects.

How do I report a pothole?  Will you come and fix it?  

The most efficient way for residents to report a pothole or road defect to Hampshire County Council is via an online form which can be found at: www.hants.gov.uk/transport.  These reports then go directly to the area where they can be assessed and dealt with and residents can track progress online.  

Residents who do not have access to the internet can call in with a pothole report to: 0845 603 5633.

If I drive into a pothole can I claim compensation?

Motorists’ frustration if their cars suffer damage during the course of a journey is understandable but the County Council does not settle claims for compensation automatically.  Each and every claim is investigated and assessed individually and decisions are provided within the timescales set out in the Civil Procedure Rules (as issued by the Ministry of Justice).

Decisions as to whether or not claims should be settled are made on the basis of the County Council's legal liability, taking into account relevant legislation and the results in court cases that have set legal precedents.  The County Council will defend claims where it is not considered to be liable or where actions taken by the County Council provide a defence under the relevant statutes.  Where liability is established, claims will be settled promptly.  Motorists should drive safely and in accordance with The Highway Code.

Is it true that you spend more on compensation claims than fixing the roads themselves?

No, not by a long way.  The annual highways maintenance budget for 2008/09 was £58 million (which includes all aspects of highways and footways maintenance including fixing potholes, resurfacing, cutting back overgrown vegetation and maintaining pavements among other aspects of work) and the total paid out in claims was £97,562  for damage caused to vehicles from road defects, including potholes.