ROAD repairs boss Richard Pearson has defended his department’s record on potholes.
While the problem vexes many motorists, the highways director says his colleagues are doing a good job.
‘We hit very high repair targets,’ he said.
‘An average of 90 per cent of “category one” potholes are patched within 24 hours and our record being just seven minutes.’
To put this into perspective, he says recently an authority in the Lake District has proudly announced a 30-day average.
Mr Pearson goes on to describe the winter of 2010/11 as one that presented a real challenge.
‘We had 500 “priority one” potholes in a single month, which unfortunately brought down the average to just 60 per cent within 24 hours.’
To cope with the demand of that bitterly cold winter a second repair machine was leased.
By comparison this 2011/12 has been quieter. Patches are down to 1,009 from 1,272 the previous year.
Mr Pearson ascribes the still significant problem this year to higher than normal rainfall literally ‘welling up like springs’ from under the island’s highways.
Potholes come in five categories, ranging from the ‘category one’ (repaired within 24 hours), to ‘category five’ which will be dealt with ‘within the financial year’.
And within categories there are differing type with names such as ‘alligator cracking’ where the surface resembles lizard like armoured scales indicating the structure underneath has failed..
‘Bouncing bombs’ are an aligned sequence of potholes being caused by suspension compression and rebound after the initial pothole is struck.
The latest machines to repair the potholes, Jetpatchers, have significantly improved efficiency.
The traditional method of repair involves a gang of up to five people kitted out with shovels, buckets and wheelbarrows, and a lorry-load of asphalt.
They clear and fill the holes, then use a roller or whacker to smooth the surface.
The Jetpatcher does all this in one smooth operation, with a driver and an operative then moves on to the next pothole as traffic resumes its path over the newly-repaired road.
However, despite efficiencies, the process is still not popular with the public as with any disruption to free flow of traffic.
Mr Pearson is also keen to impress that trying to maintain such high standards is a real challenge especially in light of a £6 million annual budgetary shortfall for the department.
‘And looking at the entire road network there’s a £100 million of work needed.’
And that’s quite a hole to stare down into and not one that a Jetpatcher can fill.