The allocation of nearly £4 million from the Government’s Pothole Fund has helped to double the number of pothole repairs across the county, taking the total to an expected 40,000 repairs this year.
Since the beginning of June 2023, when activity using the additional funding started to take place, 16,556 potholes have been repaired (as of 31 October 2023), 82% of the targeted total of 20,000 potholes.
New pothole equipment and techniques are also being trialled. These include the JCB pothole pro, which is designed to cut the road surface where a pothole has formed to allow for a watertight repair. It then brushes up and collects the waste material with the team then completing the work. Thermal patching is another new method, which is less noisy and heats the surface before mixing the existing road material with an amount of new asphalt and then being compacted.
Pothole pro allows for repairs to take place quickly and works especially well on large areas, while thermal patching is useful to use at night-time or where works need to be undertaken in restricted hours.
These techniques, plus other methods such as spray injection patching and roadmender, aim to repair the pothole permanently, helping to extend the lifespan of the road.
Road surfaces across the county have suffered from exceptional damage in the last twelve months due to snow, ice, and heavy rainfall, resulting in an increase in potholes.
“We have taken the opportunity over the recent warmer months to fix and prevent potholes countywide. The Pothole Fund has enabled us to continue with this work, ensuring that our roads are fit for winter, ensuring that Hertfordshire has the infrastructure our communities need.” – Cllr Phil Bibby, Executive Member for Highways and Transport at Hertfordshire County Council
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