As part of VolkerHighways’ Project Pothole initiative, the business has been assessing different methods of pothole repairs across its contracts. The assessments have been based on numerous factors including increased efficiencies, carbon reduction and quality of the repair.
In Medway, the team conducted a two-week review of Velocity’s spray-injection patching machine, on behalf of Medway Council. The procedure of repair is carried out by injecting high-pressure air to clear defects before cracks are sealed using cold bitumen as the first layer. The machine then evenly coats aggregate in emulsion which is then applied to the defect at high velocity compacting from the bottom up. The process takes just a couple of minutes and makes for a strong durable repair without causing further damage to the road. Once completed, the road can be driven on within minutes.
The benefits include no excavation, waste, or heat involved. This means road closures are not required, while ticking all the right boxes on low carbon emissions.
We compared Velocity’s spray-injection patching with hand-lay pothole repairs. Jet-patching had a resounding success, producing at least a 20% increase in the number of pothole repairs during the same amount of time as hand-lay patching, while achieving the same quality repair. In addition, spray-injection patching achieved an impressive 96% carbon reduction compared to traditional hand-lay repairs.
Thanks to its success, the machine will be used for a month-long deployment later this year.
Jerry Pert, Operations Director for VolkerHighways, said: “We are committed to assessing different methods of pothole repairs to find the ones most suitable for our roads, while being cost-effective and produces a reduction in carbon. We were very impressed with the spray-injection patching results, which removed a significant number of defects quickly and with zero waste.”
Cllr Simon Curry, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Regeneration, covering Highways, said: “We welcome any innovative technology that can help further improve Medway’s roads, especially if it also helps reduce our carbon footprint. Finding ways to lower carbon emissions is key to our aim to achieve net zero carbon in Medway by 2050. This trial was a great success and we look forward to continuing to work with VolkerHighways on exciting projects like this in the future.”