The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North East is urging the Government and local authorities to learn lessons from the recent freezing weather to avoid an ever-increasing pothole problem.
“It will cost thousands of pounds to repair potholes in the road caused by the big freeze”, said Stephen Larkin regional director, ICE North East.
“It's yet more money when so much has already been spent on grit to keep roads clear, but if the repairs aren't done it could cost even more cash in the future when the holes get bigger.
“When a pothole is simply patched up, there is a greater chance of the problem recurring than when a more thorough fixing of the damage is carried out. This is because a patch is more likely to allow water to seep in around the edges.”
Potholes are formed by water penetrating the asphalt surface of a road through cracks caused by traffic. When temperatures plunge, the water freezes, expands and causes the surface to rupture. When the ice melts, it leaves a void below the surface, which caves in under the stress of vehicles and eventually forms a pothole.
'Snow and ice are the worst weather conditions for exacerbating existing road defects, due to the repetition of the freeze-thaw process,' says Stephen Larkin.
“We need to act quickly under these conditions in order to avoid repeat problems and reduce the costs for having to fix the roads.
“Transport infrastructure is far too valuable to the North East economy to simply shrug our shoulders and say we can’t afford to be prepared. “
The potholes issue is far from a new problem to local authorities during this time of the year. In January 2010 snow working its way into existing cracks, then expanding as it froze, caused many problems. Unfortunately, over the last 10 years, England has seen a 52% increase in the number of visual road defects, such as cracking, potholes and patching.