Winter 2022: road maintenance services in action
Marta Kufel
Winter is a tough time for drivers, but also for road maintenance services. Temperature fluctuations cause increased number of potholes. This is completely normal, although inconvenient for drivers. Drivers should remain particularly cautious when noticing a hole in the road or road workers repairing winter damages.
Winter severity varies significantly in our climate. Frequent substantial temperature drops and temperatures going over and below 0° several times a day cause a lot of problems, especially for road maintenance services. Unfortunately, the pothole season is here.
Over the course of their service life, asphalt pavements undergo what is known as “road surface fatigue”.
- Water accumulates in micro-cracks, increasing its volume when freezing, and once the temperature gets warmer, it returns to its liquid state,” said Hanna Pieczyńska, the spokesperson for ZDiTM (Roads and Municipal Transport Authority). “This way, much larger cracks are formed in the roads. The bigger the damage, the more likely it is that it will get even larger.”
Patching asphalt roads involves two methods: “hot”, i.e. hot, heated mineral-asphalt mixture is used, and “cold” by using cold bituminous mixture (commonly referred to as asphalt). The former method is mainly used in summer and the latter in winter. It is used for holes that need to be patched up quickly. Since it is not a long-term method, it is only applied in emergency situations. Moreover, road maintenance services take advantage of brief periods of warmer and drier weather to fill the largest potholes using suitable solutions.
Is there a way to build roads that do not require repairs?
We would like to remind you that unfortunately not, and that potholes are an issue all over the world. A hole in the road should be reported as soon as possible, because it poses a danger.
Please report an potholes you may have noticed by calling our emergency number 91 48 00 401. Please note that the dispatcher’s number is for receiving calls only, not for answering questions.
