Quick fix for potholes on north roads
MOTORISTS in the far north are reserving judgement on the latest purge to make their journeys less of a roller coaster ride.
A roads team has completed a 15-day intensive operation targeting pothole blackspots on Highland Council-maintained stretches in Caithness.
It deployed a Jetpatcher system which is hailed as a low-cost, quick fix way of dealing with what has become a pervasive gripe among drivers throughout the Highlands.
The machine, which is on hire to the local authority, covered roads in Reay, Halkirk, Thurso, Watten, Wick and Canisbay as part of a summer programme taking in the whole of the Highlands.
The Jetpatcher was trialled in the Halkirk area last spring when it had mixed results, with many of the potholes re-emerging soon after the repair.
The council said lessons have been learnt and it’s confident the problems will not recur with this year’s programme.
Landward Highland councillor Willie Mackay has been following progress with the Caithness operation, which he believes has been a success.
“I’m disappointed that the quick fix machine couldn’t have stayed longer,” he said.
“So far, so good as the potholes that have been covered have firmed up nicely, though only time will tell if the repairs are lasting. I’m confident they will be.
“I was impressed with the machine and the efficiency of the operator Shaun Melia, from Birmingham, who has been operating the plant for the past 18 months across the whole country.”
The Jetpatcher, which is powered by a steam engine and a diesel generator, carries six tons of stone chips in its hopper and 800 litres of hot tar emulsion.
It air blasts the pothole before lining the cavity, spraying it with bitumen and filling it with stone chips.
It can do the job in around five minutes at a cost of £60 – much quicker and cheaper than the traditional method.
The council has a machine on order, which is due to arrive in October.