Local pothole crews might have fewer holes to patch if a new material on trial proves to last longer than conventional patching material.
Al Cepas of the city’s roadway maintenance department said crews began testing the unnamed “miracle mix” last year and he was pleasantly surprised with the results.
“We threw some of the mix in some of the troublesome holes around the city,” Cepas said. “We thought it wouldn’t last, but, lo and behold, a year later, it’s lasting.”
Cepas said the city is currently patching with cold mix, which doesn’t bond well in wet conditions and usually requires a re-patch months later.
“Mainly our experience tells us that if we are using cold mix, half of those patches will fail within a relatively short time,” he said.
The new material, which is chemically treated to resist water, is significantly more expensive than cold mix, but Cepas said costs will likely stay in the same range because crews will only be filling holes once.
Cepas said the material will likely be on trial for the next year before the city makes a decision.
