Large-scale pothole repair of roads has begun in Vitebsk
By the end of the year, specialists from the state enterprise "Gordormost" plan to repair the road surface on 40 streets in Vitebsk. Almost 30,000 square meters of defects on the roadway will be eliminated using various technologies: from the use of mixtures for winter repairs at sub-zero temperatures to hot asphalt concrete when the thermometer shows a stable plus.
Since the beginning of the year, critical potholes with a total area of approximately 420 square meters have been eliminated.
One of the most common methods of road surface restoration is pothole repair, which is used for small damaged areas. It is distinguished by its cost-effectiveness and high speed of execution, and is relevant in the presence of potholes, cracks, bulges, and other damages, the area of which allows for local patching and does not require major repairs.
According to the acting director of Gordormost, Sergey Starovoytov, the enterprise's employees have been eliminating critical potholes on the city's roads for two weeks.
— With the onset of favorable weather conditions, we will begin the main types of pothole repairs with hot asphalt concrete. The elimination of potholes with mixtures for winter repairs is already underway, — said Sergey Starovoytov. — We have partially completed patching roads on Frunze Avenue, Moskovsky Avenue, Lenin Street, Zamkovaya Street, Budyonny Street, General Beloborodov Street, 14th Polotskaya Street, and others.
On 11 Gorodokskaya Street, where Gorodormost employees eliminated critical potholes, the road and bridge section foreman of the enterprise, Andrey Kozlov, demonstrated how bitumen and asphalt granulate (a secondary material obtained from road repairs by removing and crushing old pavement) are added to the asphalt concrete recycler. Then they are mixed and heated for about an hour until they acquire a liquid consistency. The resulting material is only enough for large potholes. And then the mixture needs to be prepared again.
— A pothole is considered critical when its depth is more than five centimeters, — Andrey Kozlov said.
In good weather, 4–5 batches are made in the recycler per day. Gorodormost road workers even go out at night to carry out pothole repairs. For example, they worked on Beshenkovichskoye Highway. However, "patching" in the dark in the city is uncomfortable and unsafe due to traffic. Noise also causes inconvenience to residents.
The State Automobile Inspectorate informs Gorodormost employees about potholes on the roads, and citizens also contact them.
