Temperature fluctuations, snowfall, and plowing are all hard on asphalt paving. Over time these extreme temperature swings coupled with the everyday wear-and-tear from vehicles can cause asphalt to develop fissures or even dangerous potholes.

These potholes are bad enough in their own right, but when left untreated they can create even larger vulnerabilities. So, when are potholes most likely to develop and worsen?

You tend to notice a lot of potholes in the latter part of winter as well as the beginning of the spring season as this is the time of the year in which asphalt is combating the heaviest amounts of excess water and thawing.

Too much water and extreme temperature fluctuations don’t do any favors to asphalt, yet there is something you can do about damage that’s already occurred.

Cold Mix Asphalt for Potholes

Cold mix asphalt is made in pug mills by combining asphalt emulsions with aggregates designed to increase the integrity of your asphalt.

Because cold mix asphalt can be made to provide a coarser, stonier asphalt binder with a very high load factor or be used as a base or leveler, cold mix asphalt makes a great all-purpose material to work with. Cold mix is also extremely ego-friendly.

• Proven track record

For this reason, cold mix asphalt is also ideal for filling in potholes. Cold mix asphalt is actually quite flexible yet, because of how it’s constructed, also extremely durable and resistant to damage from the freeze-thaw cycle that can ravage your property in the late winter and early spring.

Cold mix asphalt already has a long track record of being used for temporary patching, even in the winter time. One of the reasons that many engineers and paving services actually prefer cold mix to hot mix asphalt is that cold mix can be used at lower temperatures and stored for later use if needed.

Whenever hot mix asphalt is hard to come by, or when conditions drop below a certain temperature, cold mix asphalt is the go-to material for maintaining roads and filling in potholes, especially from November to February.

• How it works

Because cold mix asphalt combines bitumen emulsion, cold aggregates designed for tough conditions, and even anti-stripping materials, it can be used in a wider range of weather conditions.

Not only that – cold mix asphalt is seen as easier to work with and more flexible than its hot mix counterpart due to the fact that cold mix asphalt has a longer cure time.

Although cold mix asphalt is already lab designed and tested to provide the best combination of flexibility and durability, different additives can be combined to the mix in order to render cold mix asphalt the perfect solution for your next project.

Cold mix asphalt can even be formulated to provide a long-term solution to improving the integrity of rural roads and parking lots to their original condition. In short, cold mix asphalt is very ease to work with, durable and can even be stored for months until you need another pothole filled.

• Cold mix exceeds expectations

Some people might be wondering about how cold mix asphalt holds up against hot mix asphalt in terms of meeting design guidelines.

Know that cold mix asphalt is resilient to cracking and fatigue and even has the capacity to self-heal. In addition, cold mix asphalt can be formulated to match the high AASHTO standards established for hot mix asphalt.

Make sure to regularly check your parking lot or home driveway for fissures and potholes. Too many potholes can even be a sign that your asphalt needs a sealcoating or routine spring maintenance. Contact us today to make sure your free of potholes and you have a grade A driveway or parking lot.

Pretty Parisian Knits

Apparently in Paris, commercial paving isn’t what it used to be! In fact, the roads there are so bad and so marred with unsightly potholes that young artist Juliana Santacruz Herrera decided to do something about it. In 2009, she gathered an array of knitting supplies and went to work crafting beautiful, knitted plugs to fill-in undesirable potholes. She named her endeavor “Project Pothole” and gained attention for her lovely designs. Of course, the knitted pothole plugs didn’t last for very long, but they did serve the important purpose of inspiring people to think outside the box (or hole) – to take something ugly and transform it into a thing of beauty. You can check out some of her design on Flikr.

Pothole Photography

Meanwhile, in New York City, photographer Davide Luciano, decided to use potholes in and around the city as props in his photographs. But instead of simply documenting the potholes, he transformed them into a variety unlikely scenarios, including a grape-stomping pit, a pile of spaghetti and meatballs, a swimming pool fit for a diver (and a drowner!), and more. The best part of the story? Luciano actually got the idea for his project after he had a rough encounter with a pothole, proving that good things can come out of bad events. Luciano’s artwork can be seen on his website.

A Pothole Garden

You don’t have to be a professional photographer or skilled artist to improve on a pothole. You may only need a green thumb! Recently, urban gardeners have been planting small gardens inside of potholes, too. Some grow a favorite flower, while others add tiny garden ornaments. Either way these gardens provide people with something pretty to look at in place of something unpleasant. Pothole gardens are doable for anyone, and they happen to work especially well for homegrown potholes, such as holes in your driveway or sidewalk. Check out pothole gardener Steve Wheen’s blog for great examples of pothole gardens worldwide.

A recent increase in rain, snow, and moisture in Atlanta’s weather is leading to an increase in potholes forming around the city. Drivers have seen costly repairs in damage to their vehicles while property managers, who maintain paving for commercial and residential real estate, also have seen repair costs increase. Unlike the city of Atlanta, which has contractors to scout and repair potholes, private property managers don’t have the same resources to repair paving damage.

The best way to reduce cost of asphalt repairs is to help prevent them with maintenance work. Potholes are formed when moisture seeps into asphalt, causing tiny cracks that can eventually lead to potholes. Because of irregular weather conditions, the asphalt is under more stress than ever before and maintaining roads has been and increasing problem. Regular maintenance from a high quality asphalt contractors can repair cracks before they form into potholes.

Such prevention methods help save money and increase driver safety. Driver safety is important to private property owners because, like the city of Atlanta, they can be sued by drivers for unsafe roads. Not only are drivers in danger of flat tires and rim damage, the city spends money on vehicle repairs that are a result of potholes. For example, the city spent over $6,000 on repairs to five motorists who had damage on a single pothole. (https://www.11alive.com/travel/story.aspx?storyid=116918&catid=38)

Property managers should select a contractor that use quality weather-resistant methods for laying asphalt. For example, Dykes Paving is an innovator in asphalt mixing and materials recycling. They are a local company that knows the city and its conditions. Having a contractor familiar with the cities weather and traffic conditions will allow them to better manage potholes. They also specialize in large commercial and residential property. For more information on asphalt contractors, go to https://www.dykespaving.com/.