VIEWPOINT


NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO SOLVE THE POTHOLE PROBLEM


Dave Saunders, head of technical sales at Wrekin Products


IT’S A LONG-RUNNING headache we’re all familiar with, but will the UK’s plague of potholes ever be fully resolved?


The recently announced £8.3bn funding boost to tackle potholes was welcome news in the battle to fix the huge backlog of carriageway repairs across the country.


Currently at a record high, a report this year by the Asphalt Industry Alliance said it would take an average of 11 years to complete the backlog. Its data showed that one pothole is filled in at the equivalent of every 22 seconds.


Meanwhile, the AA Pothole Tracker revealed that pothole incidents in June 2023 were at their worst for five years. A variety of reasons come into play, but the sheer volume of repairs is no doubt impacting how quickly they can take place and when. It’s clear that fresh strategies are needed throughout the road industry, with merchants an integral part of offering long- lasting and cost-effective road infrastructure product solutions.


A closer look


Potholes will form when weaknesses exist in the road surface, potentially from surfacing joints, remedial works, or through poor-quality materials. There is also growing concern over the potential link between potholes and failing ironwork like gully grates and manhole covers. Fitting a piece of ironwork in a road can create a potential weakness, due to the cuts in the road needed to remove or replace it. Access covers and gully gratings with poorly conceived characteristics, that lack structural rigidity, have the


18


potential to work against their surrounding materials. This can cause vibrations below, leading to fractures in the road’s layers and the break-up of the top surface, creating potholes next to and surrounding ironworks.


The right solutions One of the ways merchant teams can help to support local authority and contractor customers is to ask the right questions about the application.


For access covers, the bearing pressure exerted on it is one of the biggest factors when choosing the best solution, and to prevent problems caused by vibrations, road surface failures and water ingress.


CD 534 V0.1.0 – which should be considered the minimal base level of product – sets a minimum flange area and frame weight for all 600 x 600mm and 675 x 675mm manhole cover frames. This ensures that products can take the dynamic loads they are specified for.


Ironwork that doesn’t meet


the criteria isn’t suitable for the National Highways network. We must also consider the regulations criteria for frame weights. As well as having a surface area that is designed for high-intensity traffic loads, the frames need to have the rigidity to resist the loads transferred to them. A heavier frame weight will offer the best possible rigidity, even under the most extreme loads.


After sales support A major issue contributing to potholes in relation to ironwork is the installation. With the right manufacturer support, merchant teams can help to provide their customers with sound installation guidance and advice.


Ideally, materials that form a solid homogeneous base with the mortar should be used – and preferably from the same material. This can reduce the expansion and contraction of materials at different rates that occurs in changing conditions and can cause cracking, leading


to water ingress, freeze thaw and failure.


Using extra finding wisely The government has announced that a quarter of the £36bn to be saved by scrapping the Manchester HS2 line will help remedy what Chancellor Jeremy Hunt described as the ‘curse of potholes’. An extra £200m to tackle was also unveiled in the Budget earlier this year. While increased funding is extremely welcome, steps must now be taken to provide a maintenance roadmap to ensure that it is spent wisely. Unless there is a real push for long-term pothole repair solutions instead of quick fixes, we will not be able to solve the pothole crisis – no matter how much budget is allocated.


At Wrekin, we believe in looking at the root causes and long-term solutions so we can all have a road network to be proud of. It is essential that the supply chain is prepared for this national challenge. BMJ


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net November 2023


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44