An EZ solution to the UK’s pothole problems

03/03/2021

THE symptoms of a climate crisis are wreaking havoc on our UK road networks. Extreme weather conditions and contrasting seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation levels are to blame. Dangerous cracks are opening in the surface of the roads resulting in the rapid formation of potholes.   

The UK Government recently announced a second allocation of £500million for Local Authorities in England from the £2.5bn Pothole Fund.

Last year around 1.5 million pothole repairs were carried out, the equivalent of one pothole being filled every 21 seconds which accounted for roughly 60% of all defects dealt with by local authorities according to the 2020 ALARM report conducted by the AIA.

Despite the allocation of additional funding to repair potholes, the problems continue to mount for roads authorities. So how can this additional funding really make a lasting impact on the UK pothole crisis?

The road maintenance sector, which has already seen significant budget cuts, is now facing accelerated rates of road deterioration and damage as potholes are cropping up faster than they can be filled.

This year’s ALARM Report figures for England and Wales that road conditions have worsened since last year, with an additional 7,240 miles fewer “good” condition roads and 1,100 miles of “poor” roads.

The impact that climate change and extreme weather conditions have had on our roads comes at a great cost to citizens who rely on them for everyday movement, and the highway maintenance sector who lack the funding necessary to address this crisis.

Therefore, it is essential that the Highway sector uses its budget as cost-effectively as possible. Unfortunately, traditional methods of road resurfacing and pothole repair are costly, time-consuming, and weather dependant.

Regular asphalt installation requires heavy machinery, a team of professional plant operators to carry out the job and a high price tag for the highway maintenance sector.

The job is also time-consuming, as the asphalt needs to be heated before it can be spread adding to the cost of energy consumption.

These additional costs not only limit the highway maintenance sector from using funds more effectively but actually contributes to the climate crisis that continues to exacerbate the problem. Neither the materials used, nor the installation process is environmentally friendly.

With all factors working against them, the highway maintenance sector is in dire need of a cost-effective, environmentally friendly, pothole repair solution.

Grant Shewan, Red Stag Materials’ managing director believes he has the answer.

EZ Street is a high-quality, less expensive alternative to traditional asphalt repairs, but crucially, is also more sustainable by substituting the diesel found in many cold asphalt solutions with biofuel to produce a cold asphalt that is less reliant on fossil fuels.

“The compaction-based product can be stored for up to 12 months, easily and quickly installed, allowing for immediate use, and workable in all weather conditions.”

Red Stag Materials have brought EZ Street asphalt to the UK from the USA and Canada where it has been thoroughly tried and tested. Red Stag Materials are confident that using EZ Street to address the pothole crisis here in the UK, will translate to significant savings in manhours and equipment costs for local councils.

For more information about EZ Street and the range of road surfacing products Red Stag Materials supply, visit https://redstagmaterials.com/.

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