Freeze-thaw cycles are best known for how they undermine pavement integrity. But when things get really cold, asphalt cracks up in a different way. Recently, winters in much of the US have been warmer and wetter, particularly in the upper Midwest, than in previous years. But slicing a cold knife into these seemingly mild winters on an almost annual basis are the polar vortexes, the deep penetration of Arctic air…
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The wild popularity of e-bikes means people are getting out of cars and onto two-wheels. It’s an environmental plus, but safety issues – including potholes – need to be addressed. There is a new user of asphalt in American cities and towns, and it’s not just electric cars. Even as the 4-wheeled EVs are growing exponentially in popularity and use, the 2-wheel version of electrified travel is making its own…
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It’s tempting to get out the hog and go for a long ride when the warm weather finally arrives. But potholes might not yet be repaired – which can be expensive, and deadly, for motorcyclists. In the summer of 2022, a Philadelphia policeman was seriously injured when the motorcycle he was riding flipped after hitting a pothole. Now, in the spring of 2023, motorcyclists in the San Diego area are…
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Spring is pothole season so you are seeing them everywhere. So why are there more potholes on residential and commercial streets than interstate highways? There is a lot of money in potholes, but don’t count that as a good thing. The money goes to people other than the driver who has the unfortunate experience of hitting one with their car. Repair shops will sell or repair more tires ($100-$300), wheel…
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Unusual weather conditions bring a raft of road crevasses from San Diego to Minneapolis and just about everywhere else – along with accidents and injuries. Is there something about the winter of 2023 that is extraordinary, pothole-wise? That might well be the case, but not for the usual reasons. Typically, brutal and extended cold and snowy periods give way to potholes in the spring, beginning in February in southern states,…
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