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PWD to pay more attention to “potholes patching”

Potholes on Great Mountain road that have since been patched up. File photo: VINO
Hon. Vanterpool.
Hon. Vanterpool.
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – The Public Works Department (PWD) will be paying more attention to the way in which they patch potholes across the Territory to ensure they are done in a more comprehensive way so that they can last longer.

This was disclosed by Minister for Communications and Works Hon. Mark Vanterpool on NDP Radio aired on Monday April 16, 2012.

The Minister was responding to a caller who was complaining about the approach to patching potholes by the PWD and said he was just tired of their approach which was just “take a brush and brush it out (pothole)” and placing asphalt.

The caller said such a process is a waste of time and money and has been happening for years and continues to happen. He said those patched potholes, within a “couple weeks from now it is gone again when we have rain” and called for it to be done properly.

In his response to the caller, Minister Vanterpool said he strongly agrees with him.

“… is certainly something that I will be taking up with the Public Works Department and I believe they have been doing their best to try to get things going. They have gone through the whole island last couple of weeks and try to get things repaired like the potholes and so on. But we do need to take a little more comprehensive and better way of improving the roads. Even patching the potholes can be done in a more comprehensive and organized fashion so they can last a little longer,” said Minister Vanterpool.

Premier Dr. D. Orlando Smith who was the host of the programme, said while he agrees it is important to repair roads so they can last longer , it was also important to patch the potholes while Government work on its plans to re-engineer the road ways as there are so many potholes across the Territory.

Plans for 8 miles of road per year underway

Meanwhile, the plans by Government to pave eight miles of road every year is in the making and according to Minister Vanterpool, former PWD Director Dr. Drexel Glasgow is currently at the Ministry “working hard” to sort out the project.

“… from the eastern end of the island to come to town, will look at how we do the main part of town and get it organized better and roads paved in a better manner. There are areas where we will have to dig up the entire road and rebuild it to have a good base.”

However, he noted one of the biggest issues with fixing the roads to ensure that they are long lasting is the issue with drainage and noted that it takes a lot of time to plan the drains out properly and building proper drains.

11 Responses to “PWD to pay more attention to “potholes patching””

  • critic (19/04/2012, 08:34) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    drexel?.....waste of time...he was there for years and what did he do?
    • two for one (19/04/2012, 21:07) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      both he and Mark are the same waste!
    • Hmm (20/04/2012, 00:18) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
      behave like a child
    • Marie (22/11/2013, 19:28) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
      All of you are misusing the word pothole. A pothole is the size of a POT! You must now use the correct words "SINKHOLE" or "CRATERS". Thank you very much.
      • Sandra (23/11/2013, 19:29) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
        LOL. Yeah, my car almost got swallowed up the other day. Thought I was a goner.
  • Real Talk (19/04/2012, 09:31) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Mark, make sure LIME, BVIEC, WSD and whoever else have cables buried are involved with the repaving of the roads. The major problem we have is lack of communication between PWD and these folks, often resulting in brand new good roads being dug up right after being completed so that they could repair underground cables. Also, whenever they do dig up the road, they should be responsible for hiring a decent contractor to fix it in a proper manner.
  • Edmund (19/04/2012, 09:56) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    just more ide talk from Mark..he does nothing but chat chat chat..the new do nothing 4th district rep
  • Polo (19/04/2012, 10:50) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Every place got pot holds. Just came from Washington State and was surprised to see pot holes there especially in the little towns….
  • DWD Method Throw and Go Waste of Money&Time (19/04/2012, 12:35) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    Most potholes are formed due to fatigue of the road surface. As fatigue fractures develop they typically interlock in a pattern known as crocodile cracking. The chunks of pavement between fatigue cracks are worked loose and may eventually be picked out of the surface by continued wheel loads, thus forming a pothole. Repair Pothole patching methods are divided into two distinct categories, hot mix and cold mix. hot mix is used during the warm spring and summer seasons. The most widely used method is known simply as throw-and-go. The patching mix is thrown into the pothole along with any debris or water present and compacted with the shovel by manual labor. This method is widely utilized due to the easy application and high rate of production, but the failure rate is extremely high. The next step in a higher quality application is the throw and roll. In the throw-and-roll method, the patching mix is once again thrown into the pothole manually regardless of any water or debris. Next, a truck slowly drives over the repaired pothole and the mix is compacted. The goal is for the compacted patch to have a crown in the range of 0.125-0.25”. This process will take approximately two more minutes per pothole compared to the throw-and-go method. Although more time consuming, it makes for a more durable patch due to the compaction of the patching mix with the truck tire. The best-known pothole patching method is the semi-permanent repair. In this method, the pothole is completely removed of any water or debris. Next, the pothole needs to be squared. All uneven edges will be cut with a pavement saw making the hole into a square or rectangular shape. The pothole is cleaned once again before the patching mix is applied. Finally, the area is compacted with a single drum roller or a vibratory plate compacter. The semi-permanent method provides the tightest and longest lasting patch. However, it is more time consuming and requires more workers and equipment in the field. During the "semi-permanent" repair, a material known as a tack may also be used. Tack is a liquid form material used to promote adhesion of the pothole patch mix, and the pothole surface. If tack is utilized during the repair, it is either sprayed or brushed on the clean and squared pothole. Next, the pothole patching mix is applied and compacted in the desired method, and a final coat of the tack is sprayed on top of the patch overlapping the edges a few inches.
  • Diaspora (20/04/2012, 21:36) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    If the causes of portholes are not addressed, throwing hot mix in the hole will be like putting a band aid on open wound. The genesis of portholes are normally failures in the subgrade, base or surface courses. These failures permit entry of water that affects the engineering properties of the road. Water infiltration loosens the soil or carries away road material, weakening the structural integrity of the road. As more water infiltrate the courses, like during a rain, the condition continues to crumble and disintegrate until a pot hole is formed. As such to stop the cycle repair-failure-repair the cause of the pothole must be fixed before fixing the porthole. The prime cause of accelerated road failure is poor construction methods and poor drainage. Preventing/minimizing ponding on riding surfaces, pounding on edge of pavement or infiltration into the road will enhance the lftcycle, reduce maintenance frequency and operational and riding quality. cost and riding quality t
  • ausar (22/04/2012, 06:25) Like (0) Dislike (0) Reply
    It amazes me that with all of the money spent-on roads,salaries for engineers, college degrees, nothwithstanding-we tend not to be able to know just yet how to pave proper roads. And the sad part about it all is that we are continually recycling idiots with no abilites to head this Public Works Department. I just can't understand why our young engineers are not here in St. Thomas interning with Island Roads Corporation to learn how to properly pave roads. Most Virgin Islanders(British) come to St. Thomas. Many of you have see the quality of our roads. There is a process involved and it seems to me, many Virgin Islander(B) engineers have not the clue on what yet to do. So instead of our government continue to throw good money after bad, let them ensure that the engineers before they are given projects are properly interned in Caribbean-based environments. We tout the BVI/USVI Friendship Day thing. Lets hope our friendship can extend to include internship opportunites for our young engineers seeking guidance in the infrastructural development process.


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