Highways maintenance specialists Velocity are investing in their fleet of pothole repair machines following a record year in 2023.

Pioneered by Velocity, the spray-injection patching technique permanently repairs potholes in just two minutes, when they are ready for traffic immediately.

The process involves no excavation or waste and is 100% cold-applied, delivering a significant carbon saving compared to other methods.

Velocity work with local authorities throughout the UK, repairing more than half-a-million repairs per year.

In 2023, the London Borough of Redbridge adopted the process following a productive 12-week trial which saw 2,200 defects repaired across the borough.

Redbridge Council leader, Cllr Jas Athwal, said: ‘Potholes are a nuisance and a danger to road users, and we understand how difficult they can make journeys around Redbridge. We’re working hard to find innovative and cost-effective ways to improve road surfaces for local people.

‘The Spray Injection Patching machine is helping pave the way, and where suitable we hope to continue using it on our roads, alongside our resurfacing programme and traditional repairs, enabling a greater number of pothole repairs to be completed faster across the borough, with fewer carbon emissions.

‘We hope the success of this trial will encourage further use of this low carbon solution to potholes and instil greater confidence and opportunities for active travel on our roads.’

Calculations showed that as well as achieving a significant financial saving, exceptionally low carbon emissions of 11tns were achieved.

Dominic Gardner, Velocity’s managing director, said: ‘As well as being a great fit for highways asset management plans, Velocity patching is helping local authorities deliver on their Climate Action Plans and transition to low carbon methods for their communities and businesses.’

‘As local authorities work hard to get the best value for their residents and protect the environment, last year was a record for Velocity working in partnership across the country. We are investing in more machines to add to our fleet and training skilled operators to provide thousands of repairs every day.’

As well as repairing potholes, Velocity install a unique preservation product that stops defects occurring in the first place.

In a Scottish first, the innovative treatment to help extend the lifespan of the road network has been trialled by Aberdeenshire Council.

Velocity installed the preservative treatment ‘Rhinophalt’ on a mix of residential, rural and A-roads across six sites in Central and South Aberdeenshire.

Rhinophalt is a unique product that locks-in the current condition of the road, preventing deterioration. Containing Gilsonite, a naturally occurring bitumen, Rhinophalt penetrates the road surface to depths of 30mm, setting hard in any microcracks and air voids to prevent the ingress of water and oxidisation of the carriageway. Once treated, deterioration is prevented for a period of up to five years.

Compared to conventional resurfacing, the enormous material savings and minimal plant and transport requirements, asphalt preservation with Rhinophalt delivers 94% savings in carbon emissions compared to resurfacing.

In Aberdeenshire, installation was carried out under road closures at night to minimise disruption to motorists.

Following a pre-sweep, the product is sprayed onto the road surface with just one pass of the machine, without the need for any compaction or heavy equipment. As the profile of the road is maintained there is no need to raise ironworks, kerb heights or thresholds which significantly reduces time and cost.

Rapid curing of the product means that line markings can be applied in the same closure window, with the road reopened comfortably in time for traffic.

With more than 3,500 miles of roads to maintain across a wide region, Aberdeenshire Council is always seeking new innovative ways of extending the lifespan of its carriageways.

Philip McKay, head of Roads and Infrastructure Services, said: ‘With such a large, rural roads network which is subject to significant vehicle weight and volume, it is vital that we do everything we can to maintain strong road surfaces across the region. There is absolutely no doubt that prevention is better than cure and we are eager to see the results of the Rhinophalt treatment trial.’

This article was sponsored by Velocity.