A study on pothole repair in Canada through questionnaire survey and laboratory evaluation of patching materials

Abstract

To investigate the current pothole repair practices in Canada, a questionnaire was distributed to Canadian transportation agencies. Outcomes showed a large portion of pothole repairs were performed during the summer season. Conventional cold mix, hot mix asphalt, Quality Pavement Repair, and Innovative Asphalt Repair were identified as commonly used patching materials. Moreover, the ‘throw-and-go’ method was the most common patching procedure and durability of repaired patches in winter was significantly less than repaired patches in summer. To evaluate the performance of patching materials, a laboratory testing program was conducted on cold mixes identified by the survey as being most commonly used. The laboratory results showed that curing time and temperature had a significant effect on strength gain for all cold mixes. Conventional cold mix showed higher stability and cohesion properties, while Quality Pavement Repair showed better moisture resistance and adhesion properties. All the cold mixes were sensitive to freeze–thaw damage.