Best Practices Maintenance Paved with Good Intentions Understanding Asphalt Repair and Maintenance [By Jack Carr, P.E., RS, LEED-AP] It's January. If your community needs road repairs, it may already be too late to lock down a paving contractor. When the asphalt plants open in early spring, there will be a long line waiting. The pot holes, sunken manhole covers, and expanding pavement cracks will not heal themselves. It may be time to take action. Before the Roads Committee chair calls the paving contractor, it is best to remember the methods of repairs: 36 CONDOMEDIA January 2022 1 2 Throw 'n Roll: This is a temporary pot hole repair where liquid asphalt fills a hole and is then rolled over with heavy equipment to compact it. Semi-permanent repair: This is similar to the Throw 'n Roll except it is more deliberate with the hole properly cleaned and the hole trimmed to sound pavement. The asphalt is then compacted using a vibratory roller or plate. 3 4 Spray-injection method: This repair uses special equipment to spray a tack coat of asphalt into a cleaned hole and then blowing asphalt and aggregate into the hole. This method does not require compaction. Full-depth roadway replacement: This method rebuilds the pavement by pulverizing the old asphalt and mixing it with cement and water to form a base for a final asphalt surface. This method of course is the most expensive but the best. 5 Infrared repair: This method uses equipment emitting infrared heating to melt the damaged surface and remove defects with new asphalt on the surface. Patches become seamless with less chance of future potholes. This method is often more cost effective than large patch jobs.