The secret life of potholes

It might not come as a surprise to drivers used to the shake, rattle and roll of storm-damaged roads, but not all pothole repairs are created equal.

Cleveland.com highlighted work by a University of Cincinnati engineering professor to find out just which solutions work best for winter-damaged roads.

UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Professor Munir Nazzal and his students spent the winter of 2021 following roads departments as they repaired 686 potholes in four cities across Ohio. Crews used nine different materials or combinations to fill them.

Researchers found that no single material worked best for every weather condition or road surface. And the cost of repairs can vary depending on the materials and methods used.

“You cannot control when it will snow, when it will freeze, you cannot control anything like that,” Nazzal told Cleveland.com. “What you can control is basically making sure that you’re putting the effort to select the right material and the right procedure.”

Nazzal is director of UC's Center for Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure.

Subsequently, he and his students have conducted related studies examining better ways to fix damaged roads. Often, the best repair is prevention — sealing road cracks to keep ice from heaving the surface.

Read the Cleveland.com story.

Featured image at top: University of Cincinnati Professor Munir Nazzal studies the most effective ways to repair storm-damaged roads. Photo/kozmoat98/istockphoto