I think the number of pothole repairs has increased, probably because of the looming elections in May. However, I also believe that some old habits and poor repairs have resurfaced. Possibly because the council want to fill as many as possible and has decided to sacrifice quality to enable that. Poorer repairs are a fool’s errand because it won’t be long before things need redoing. Carrying out quality repairs is far better and more cost-effective in the long run. Just throwing down some tarmacadam and hoping for the best isn’t sustainable.
Tinkering with repairs superficially just isn’t sustainable.
What do you think about how roads are being repaired by you? Let me know in the comments.
I took a look at the recent repairs on Berghill Lane last week. The work carried out wasn’t the worst I have seen, but it was far from the best. Perhaps some context would be useful.
October 23: Before the repairs
In October 2023, I went to inspect Berghill Lane after a string of complaints from residents. The road was in poor condition. Extensive ‘crocodile skin’ cracks were present from subsidence and overloading.
Overloading happens on narrow lanes due to high axle weights. Mainly when the load is on the edge of the road from wider vehicles. Country lanes have unbound edges. Kerbs on roads bound the edges and help prevent the road from spreading under load. Spreading and subsidence can be worse where the ground is naturally wet due to a high water table or boggy ground. More significant problems can lead to subsidence when the road’s substructure fails. The best solution is to take the top off the road and address the failures below before resurfacing, possibly with additional kerbs to restrain and support the road edges.
Here is a video of my inspection from October 2023:
January 2025: daytime closure for repairs.
The road was closed in January for repairs after a lengthy spell in poor condition and many complaints from residents and myself. When the notice of a daytime road closure came out, I was hopeful that lasting repairs would be made.
Fast forward to last week
Good practice for a pothole repair is to cut the edges around it, seal the hole with tar or binding agent, use hot tarmacadam fill and compress it with a heavy roller. The joints are further sealed to stop water penetration into the edges of the repair. A temporary or less satisfactory repair is to use cold tarmacadam fill and compress the fill with a whacker plate. Cold fill is less pliable. A whacker plate is lighter than a roller, leading to poorer compaction and a more uneven surface. We have seen contractors drive over the fill a few times, which is an unsatisfactory compaction method. If poorer, cheap methods are being employed, it is either a conscious leadership decision or inadequate levels of checks and control over contractors.
The repairs weren’t edged and sealed correctly; the repairs weren’t well compacted with fill higher than the original crown of the lane, in essence creating a ramp and allowing water to pool between repairs instead of running off the road. Poor jointing then allows water to settle in the edges and blow out the edges during frosts.
Here is a video of what I found last week:
Shropshire Council needs a sustainable approach to road maintenance
Tinkering with repairs superficially just isn’t sustainable.
Shropshire Council desperately needs proper coring and testing to assess its roads. Then, it can have a proper long-term preventative program of works and stop throwing good money after bad.
If elected next May, I will push for such a program and innovations like plastic roads to address the problem.
