Patching pavement is pricey; Or is it?

Hate potholes? So does your County. They spend a lot of time and money filling cracks and potholes; resources they would rather spend fixing roads and bridges. One local county has found a fast way to fill their potholes, saving time, money, and better yet, your car.

Traditionally, local municipalities fix their potholes using a crew of four to five people, five days per week, driving two trucks, weather permitting. On a good day, the crew can cover three to four miles of pot filled holes a day. There are 20,400 miles of county maintained roads in the State – a lot of ground to cover!

Here’s another pothole problem: counties usually buy their pothole patch material once per year. They make an estimate, based on previous years, on how much material they will need. This can waste money, as material not used in a timely manner will seize and become useless.

Did you think filling potholes was this much work? Thankfully, there is a better way.

Steuben County, in the Southern Tier of New York State, has started leasing a compact, but powerful six wheeled truck, affectionately known as “the Pothole Killer,” from Patch Management (PMI) of Morrisville, PA. The Pothole Killer is a self-contained spray patching vehicle. A precarious looking contraption, the truck has a nine foot, operator controlled arm that extends out in front of the vehicle. Through this single extension, the machine blows air into the pothole to clean it, sprays it with a protective layer of oil, and then fills it with the right amount of patch material. The whole process only takes 45-60 seconds.

The Pothole Killer quickly and safely produces pothole and road surface repairs that are more effective, more economical, and longer lasting than any other patching method. Because the truck holds all the materials needed to patch the potholes, and mixes them on an as needed basis, users save money otherwise spent on wasted materials. However, the biggest money saver is not in the material savings; it is the reduced cost of labor. The truck is fully operated by one person. The use of this machine has cut labor by more than half, allowing Steuben County to use its labor forces on other worthy projects. It also can cover three times as many miles in a single day. Bryce Foster, the Steuben County Department of Public Works’ Deputy Commissioner, said this new method has saved his department up to $300,000 per season. The effectiveness of the Pothole Killer has also reduced the phone call complaints to Bryce’s office by 80%. When asked if he would recommend this method to other municipalities, he said, “absolutely!”

Another unique capability of the Pothole Killer system is that Patch Management has patent pending system designs and materials that are designed to work in extreme weather conditions where traditional materials are known not to be effective, i.e., below 40 degrees. PMI has successfully tested their system and materials to -17 degrees.

Any size municipality or business can take advantage of the Pothole Killer’s savings. Some communities pool resources and split time with the machine. The cost of the rental includes training, allowing municipalities to use their own workforce to operate the truck.

Should you find yourself in need of road repair that involves potholes, call in a killer, the Pothole Killer. You’ll save time, money, your work force will not be standing on the road surface performing the repairs, and you will please your constituents.

For more information about rental rates and availability, contact Patch Management, Inc., at 877-FIX-ROAD.