The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is examining state highways for potholes and other damage following the heavy rains of El Niño. Potholes pop up on roads when moisture seeps into and below the asphalt layer, which can be further stressed by freezing overnight temperatures and traffic. In fact, ADOT plans to spend about 10% of its winter operations budget on pothole repairs.
Storms like the ones caused by El Niño left ADOT highway crews having to make temporary repairs to patches with Universal Paving Material, which is heated, placed in the damaged area and tamped down.
More permanent repairs are made once the material cools off and crews then go in with a milling machine to remove the damaged pavement around the fresh layer. In some cases, the milled pavement is reused by placing it in an asphalt reclaimer that heats the material on site and places the recycled asphalt on top of the pothole. Crews finish the repair by using a heavy compaction roller to smooth out the pavement.
