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Battle of the pothole repair machines

Published
Machines go head-to-head in Gloucestershire County Council’s ongoing trials of the most efficient pothole fix.

As part of the council’s ongoing investment in our roads and to create better journeys for residents, the council has tested four devices, racing them across the county this spring and summer:

1. Roadmender – heats recycled material which is spread across damaged patches of the road surface, creating a watertight seal.

Photo of a Roadmender device

2. Bobcat – the nifty machine cuts away damaged sections of the road and prepares a neat surface for new asphalt.

Photo of a Bobcat machine on a sunny street

3. The Spray Injection Patching Machine – known as the ‘pothole buster’, moves quickly along a road firing air at high speed into potholes to clear them out before aggregate is coated in bitumen and applied, again at high speed.

Photo of asphalt being sprayed into a pothole with a spray injection patcher

4. JCB Pothole Pro – cuts, crops and cleans patches, enabling an average pothole to be fixed in just 8 minutes. 

Photo of a JCB Pothole Pro machine in Cirencester
 
In the finale of the machine trials, this Friday in Fairford, both the Roadmender and Bobcat will operate along the same stretch of road in direct competition. 

A full evaluation of the season’s trials will be conducted over time to determine the rate and quality of the repairs carried out. The winning machines will join the council’s growing road repair arsenal.  

As part of these trials, more resources have also been committed to preventative work. This means that when a pothole repair team is called out to fix a dangerous pothole, they now often have more time to also fix any other smaller potholes within the immediate area too.

This approach is expected to help reduce the number of problem potholes in the county by fixing them earlier. The work has proved popular with residents who have offered positive feedback.

Cllr Dom Morris, Cabinet Member for Highways and Flooding said: “Some councils are trying one or two of these machines and techniques but in Gloucestershire we’re testing many tools to get the best results. We’re absolutely dedicated to improving the county’s roads. 

“I’m pleased to see new machines on our roads this summer, and I’m delighted we are rolling out a proactive approach to fix more potholes in the first visit, before they develop into safety hazards. We’re using all the latest tools available to create better journeys for Gloucestershire’s residents.”