Spring isn’t just the best time to declutter and get your cleaning done, it is also the best time to repair potholes. The experts at Cassidy Paving urge you to repair your potholes during the spring months for a number of reasons. Read more about why this time of the year is the best time to pursue your pavement repairs regardless of whether it is for your business or municipality.
Thaw/Freeze Cycle
The best time anywhere to fix potholes, especially across Massachusetts, is by far the spring months. Simply put, water expands when it freezes. This means during those long winter months, the water in and around your asphalt pavement has plenty of time to expand and cause cracks and potholes that you won’t see until that frozen water starts to thaw. Your asphalt contracts and expands with the water in the subsurface. According to POTHOLE.info, “the expansion-contraction cycles undermine this supporting structure, culminating in a frozen-water bubble that pushes pavement up from below.”
It Saves Money
Repairing potholes in the dead of winter will most likely be counterproductive, since most of the potholes will not be visible until the water in the subsurface has defrosted. Hot mix asphalt especially works best when it can stay warm during the compaction process. During the winter, it does not stay hot enough during the filling process to achieve the best compaction. Oftentimes, permanent pothole repair cannot be achieved until at least the spring, so temporary fillers may be used until the proper job can be completed.
Perfect pothole repair and worst-case pothole scenarios were covered in an interview on NPR: “If you can get good material and it’s a good, nice, dry summer day, a pothole can stay patched for months or even years at times. In the wintertime, you can sometimes only get a couple days. If you get a couple weeks, you’d be doing pretty good.” You always want to go with the better case scenario. It will save you a lot of time, money, and trouble.
You Can Use Hot Mix
An awesome benefit with waiting until the warmer spring weather is that you can then use hot mix asphalt. The Asphalt Pavement Association of Michigan says, “hot mix is a combination of approximately 95 percent stone, sand, or gravel bound together by asphalt cement, a product of crude oil”. This combination makes it extremely durable. If your company or city is looking for the best option for paving that will last, it’s best to wait until springtime so you can use the hot mix asphalt material.
Let’s Get the Paving Started
Lucky for you, springtime is upon us and it is the best time of the year to fix those potholes you’ve been eyeing. Don’t hesitate any longer. Cassidy Paving wants to help. If you’re looking for repairs services in a city across Massachusetts, give us a call today at 866-978-9788 to get quality information from the paving experts. We offer free estimates every day of the year. We look forward to the opportunity to serve you.