Guidelines on repair and maintenance

THE eThekwini Municipality has set guidelines on how potholes are to be repaired.

Ideally, they should not be “plugged” on any road or pavement. In cases where emergency plugging has been undertaken, the road still requires to be rescheduled for permanent repairs.

The area around the pothole is squared off, with any loose material removed.The existing surface is compressed and filled with hot asphalt then compressed to a minimum thickness of 50mm on roads and 25mm on pavements.

In cases where the thickness is greater than 50mm, the asphalt layers shall be placed and compacted in layers not exceeding 50mm.

The minimum size of any repair (road or pavement) should not be less than 300mm x 300mm or 0.3m x 0.3m. Any repair in excess of one square metre is considered an asphalt patch, warranting a conventional repair.

Where multiple potholes exist in close proximity, it shall be considered a larger patch for repair purposes.

Careful attention is given to tacking sides and bottom surface of all repairs. All debris generated must be removed on completion. The use of cold mix for pothole repair purposes is restricted for emergencies and during inclement weather. Such work is considered temporary and therefore must be scheduled for permanent repair using hot mix asphalt.