With the end of winter and warm weather just on the horizon, the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) and its partners in the asphalt industry are getting ready to fight the annual springtime war on potholes.
Relatively mild winters the past several years have allowed asphalt plants to open early, letting the WVDOH get a jump start on patching potholes. Not so this winter, where a series of winter storms and lingering cold weather have put hot asphalt production on hold.
“This has been the worst winter we’ve had in years,” said Transportation Secretary Todd Rumbaugh, P.E. “It’s perfect weather for potholes.”
In cold weather, WVDOH road crews can only patch potholes with a mixture of cold asphalt. Crews concentrate on the worst tire-busting potholes first, using cold asphalt until permanent repairs can be made.
Hot asphalt requires certain minimum requirements in order to cure. Ground temperatures should be above 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
“You can’t fill potholes when it’s cold, and you can’t fill them when it’s wet,” said John Crane, executive director of the Asphalt Pavement Association in Charleston.
Asphalt plants shut down during the winter months for maintenance and because it’s too cold to use hot asphalt anyway. The WVDOH was able to work with asphalt plant owners over the past several years to open plants early, but continued cold weather has kept most plants closed this season.
“This has been the worst winter we’ve had in a decade,” Crane said.
Crane said there are about three dozen asphalt plants serving the state of West Virginia. A couple are currently open, with more expected to open in the coming weeks. Crane expects the majority of the state’s asphalt plants to be open by the end of the month.
To make a permanent pothole repair, crews first mill out the area around the pothole to make a square or rectangular hole about two inches deep. Debris is swept out of the hole, and a sticky layer of tack is laid down in the hole to help the hot asphalt adhere to the road surface.
Hot asphalt is then poured into the hole and rolled out flat with a rolling machine. A properly done pothole patch should last as long as the roadway around it and be smooth enough to be virtually unnoticeable to drivers.
“Our intention is to patch all our potholes as quickly as possible,” Rumbaugh said.
“Please be patient with us as we endeavor to patch these potholes,” he said. “Slow down and pay attention to work zones for the safety of you and our workers.”
