Investigation on Service Time and Effective Cost of Typical Pothole Patches in Tennessee

Pothole repair is a commonly practiced pavement maintenance conducted by many state highway agencies. This study investigated the current practices of pothole repair and their cost-effectiveness. A nationwide questionnaire showed that the throw-and-go method is widely used because of its simplicity while semi-permanent technique is considered to be more cost-effective. The field survey showed that the throw-and-roll patches placed in the winter time deteriorated quickly in the first three months, whereas the patches that survived the first winter or that were repaired in the spring lasted much longer. Although semi-permanent repairs have a higher one-time repair cost due to increased equipment and labor cost, they were proved to be more cost-effective in a long term. The throw-and-roll applied in the spring season appeared to be the most cost-effective repair strategy, while including winter season throw-and-roll are less cost-effective. Avoiding patching in severe season and conducting preventive patching could potentially improve the cost-effectiveness.