Effective road maintenance keeps traffic moving, protects the general public and preserves the infrastructure of our society – so councils and authorities need the right strategy and equipment to do this properly. In this blog, we’ll explore what a well-executed road maintenance plan looks like, and discover how a JCB Pothole Pro can help you put this plan into action.
What is the importance of road maintenance?
It’s best to answer this question by looking at what happens if you don’t have a road maintenance management plan. On average, the quality of an untreated road drops by 40% in the first 15 years, then by another 40% in the following two years. Such a drop is almost guaranteed to lead to bigger, longer and more expensive repairs in the long run – which has serious financial, logistical and safety consequences. These repairs don’t just cost more money – they demand longer road closures, causing more disruption to businesses and communities. And while they remain unrepaired, it increases the risk of accidents for drivers and pedestrians (well-maintained roads have much better stopping distances) which in turn puts a greater strain on healthcare. So all things considered, the benefits of road maintenance are clear to see.
While there are many different road maintenance services – including clearing of drains or manhole covers, and replacement of missing street names – one of the most important is resurfacing. In particular, pothole and defect repair.
What are the different types of road maintenance?
There are three different approaches you can take to road maintenance:
Preventative: as we learned above, it’s far better to keep on top of road maintenance than wait for an issue to form – a.k.a, take a preventative approach. Regular inspections, timely life-extension treatments and a thorough timetable can stop roads from crumbling under wear and tear and prevent problems developing.
Reactive: when a problem becomes apparent and it’s no longer safe to leave it unattended, a reactive approach takes over. This can still be pothole repair, larger repatching or a full resurface.
Emergency: this approach mainly comes into action due to unplanned circumstances – often extreme weather situations like flooding, hurricanes or storms. Filling in potholes is one of the most common types of emergency repair.
What is road maintenance best practice?
As the saying goes, prevention is better than the cure – so this is often the best way to approach road maintenance. It’s important to have a proactive, strategic road maintenance safety plan, and this all starts with monitoring, evaluation and assessments. By conducting regular visual inspections and collecting feedback from road users, whoever is responsible for road maintenance can keep a close eye on any potential repairs. And if an issue has arisen more rapidly than expected, authorities can then respond promptly – while scheduling work at the right time to minimise disruption.
All this adds up to a number of different benefits for authorities and road users alike, including:
- Extended lifespan for roads
- A safer space for communities
- Increased fuel efficiency for drivers
- Decreased chance of accidents
- Reduced costs of maintenance
- Better for the environment (preventative measures produce fewer greenhouse gases and consume less energy than repairs)
What equipment do you need for road maintenance?
Clearly, a preventative approach is valuable – but even with regular assessment and monitoring, there will still be times when repairs are needed. At this point, it’s vital to have the right road maintenance equipment. If you attempt a repair with the wrong machinery, it could escalate into an even bigger, more expensive and more disruptive fix. But with skilled operators, modern technology and the right machine, a repair will stand the test of time.
The Pothole Pro: effective road maintenance with JCB
As mentioned, pothole repair is one of the most common types of road maintenance – and JCB has developed a unique machine designed to transform this process. Combining three functions into one, the Pothole Pro prepares road surface for reinstatement in just 8 minutes, for less than £30 spend – saving time, money and manpower. This machine:
Cuts: Removes the damaged layer to ensure a smooth, even surface.
Crops: Creates a square edge for the defect for better asphalt adhesion, ensuring a more permanent repair.
Cleans: Removes all the debris from the repair site.
The Pothole Pro completes a repair over five times faster than traditional manual methods and achieves a permanent result. 97% of temporary defect repairs require a return visit in less than six months. But for repairs made by the Pothole Pro, this figure is less than 1%. It turns a reactive repair into a preventative, long-lasting solution for road maintenance best practice.
The UK government and local authorities are on a journey to ‘fix Britain’s roads’. Planned road maintenance is a key part of this, and with the development of the Pothole Pro, JCB is playing a key role in protecting drivers, communities and our national infrastructure.