Picture this: You’re driving to work, sipping your coffee and then it happens. Your car hits a depression in the road, your coffee goes flying, and the party grinds to a halt. Congratulations! You’ve just hit one of 55 million potholes in the United States.
The Formation of Potholes
Like anything else, pavement is susceptible to wear and tear. Maybe the roads around your property are heavily trafficked. Maybe they experience extreme changes in temperature. Maybe they’re frequented by abnormally heavy vehicles. Or maybe they’re just a bit aged. Eventually, no matter the situation, cracks will begin to form in your pavement. And those cracks create passageways where water can seep into the ground. And from there, the stage is set.
Over time, water continues funneling into the cracks and, little by little, washes away a layer of dirt or water-soluble rock. The problem is that this layer used to be the pavement’s foundation. And in the absence of that foundation, there’s nothing left to prop the pavement up. By the time something heavy rolls along—whether that’s a truck, a car, a school bus, etc.—the unsupported pavement collapses, and a pothole is born.
Where Do Potholes Form?
The short answer: Everywhere.
Most people associate potholes with roadways. And while you’ll definitely find plenty of them as you’re driving along city streets, potholes can form anywhere there’s pavement. So, if you run an HOA, you might have to deal with potholes in your community’s streets and driveways. If you manage a retail location, you might find potholes in your parking lot. If you’re a non-profit, or any other commercial entity responsible for pavement, unfortunately you’ll probably have to deal with potholes at some point, too.
Why It’s Important to Fix Potholes
You really want to stay on top of repairing potholes as soon as you spot them for a few main reasons:
- Potholes can get worse—what starts as a simple fix could end up becoming far more complex (i.e. expensive) if you let the problem fester.
- Potholes can become a safety hazard, causing personal injury to pedestrians and property damage to vehicles. That means they can create a liability for your property, both personally and financially. No want.
- Fixing those unsightly potholes raises your curb appeal, which makes your property far more desirable to renters, buyers, customers…people, in general. Yes, repairing damaged pavement costs money, but it could also mean more revenue in the long run.
How Black Diamond Can Help
Black Diamond Paving fights the good fight against potholes on a daily basis, and we offer several services that will keep your property crater-free:
- Sealcoating: One of the easiest ways to prevent these disagreeable divots is to stay on top of sealcoating your asphalt. This adds a protective layer to the surface of your pavement, preventing cracks from forming in the first place.
- Crack Sealing: If cracks do form, there’s still hope. Crack sealing plugs up any crevices in your asphalt and helps keep water from eroding the pavement’s foundation.
- Patch Paving: If, despite your best efforts, potholes do form (perhaps the previous property manager wasn’t a believer in preventive measures, or perhaps your asphalt is just nearing that point in its life cycle), there’s still no need to fret. If we find your property is a good candidate for it, we can undertake a patch paving job—digging out the failed sections and replacing them with new, thicker asphalt.
No matter your pothole situation—mild, major, or merely preventive—Black Diamond can help. Give us a call today!
