By: Schwarze
Municipalities often find pothole repair to be both aggravating and expensive. One cause for these woes is the traditional repair technique known as “throw and go.” Although it may be quick, repairs completed with this technique have a short lifespan.
Crews are “truly having to go back and continually fix that same hole,” said Frank Connelly of RCM Specialties, a dealer of spray patching pavement repair equipment. Because those crews typically consist of three to five workers, these yearly repairs become costly from a labor perspective.
According to a 2016 study published by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, “The ideal repair would be a repair that lasts at least a year, can be performed in all seasons, and can be installed easily and relatively quickly—all while keeping traffic delays to a minimum.” Spray injection patching hits those qualifications, and, when utilizing a truck-mounted model, requires just one operator to complete pothole repairs.
Considering the Costs
In the early 2000s, a study by the Virginia Transportation Research Council deemed the performance of spray injection patches as “excellent.” Researchers determined the life expectancy of the repairs was three to five years, compared to just one year for traditional pavement repair methods.
The extended lifespan of spray patches can result in major cost savings for municipalities. According to the study, the initial cost of spray patching was approximately 18 percent more per square yard than skin patching, including materials, equipment and personnel. “Even though the initial cost of the spray injection patches was higher, the superior longevity of the spray injection patches overrode the higher initial cost,” the researchers wrote. Over a four-year span, they determined, the present worth per square yard of spray patching was approximately 30 percent that of skin patching. “The large difference in present worth for the two methods is because the skin patching had to be repeated on an approximately annual basis,” the study explained.
Thinking Long-Term
As many municipalities face tight budgets, any expense requires careful consideration of return on investment. While cities will quickly realize savings by utilizing spray patching for pothole repair, the versatility of the technology also allows it to factor into long-term budgeting.
Spray patchers like the Roadpatcher from Schwarze are multipurpose machines—in addition to pothole repair, spray injection patching technology can be used to repair alligator cracking and cup cracking as well as perform other road maintenance functions. Hays County in Texas has found it to be especially helpful for chip sealing.
