CLIFTON — Commuters often fault the elements when it comes to automotive accidents or tardiness to work; but when it comes to potholes, just go ahead and blame the weather.
Craig Baclit, president of Patch Management Inc., said potholes “typically form when there’s a fracture in the road surface. When water gets into the fractures, it freezes and a pothole develops.”
Baclit said as the ice expands, coupled with traffic running over it, the pothole gets bigger. He said chemicals used on streets, such as calcium chloride and various salts, also cause potholes to increase in size.
What is the cure? According to Baclit, potholes are generally repaired using “cold patch” in climates below 50 degrees Fahrenheit or using hot asphalt when the temperatures heat up.
“A cold patch is modified asphalt,” said Baclit, citing the lack of adhesion and bonding as its primary drawback. “It’s not really going to give you a very long-term solution,” he said, adding the patch could be ruined within hours.
Baclit said hot asphalt provides a longer term solution. Crews will square a hole, fill it and roll it; however, Baclit said the process can only be done in warmer environments when asphalt plants are operating.
Baclit cites time, manpower and safety as the biggest issues plaguing traditional attempts at filling potholes. Roadways must be cleared while crewmen work and the patches must have time to dry.
Baclit began Patch Management Inc. 15 years ago in Pennsylvania to combat such hazards and inconsistencies regarding year-round pothole repair work.
The business owns the patents on the PK2000 Pothole Killer truck, thanks to inventor and Chief Operating Officer Scott Aleiger. According to the company’s Web site, the vehicle is “the most advanced spray injection patcher in the industry.”
Two materials are stored separately in one truck at a piping 150 degrees Fahrenheit, said Baclit, which allows it to operate in any climate.
The operator first blows out the pothole to remove loose debris. Then he or she fills it with an asphalt emulsion, which allows for bonding, followed by an aggregate used to fill the void.
“It sets up within 15 minutes,” Baclit said. Vehicles can begin driving over it immediately and the average pothole repair lasts 42 months, he said, adding there were prior repairs that weathered Hurricane Katrina.
Furthermore, not only is it a single person operation, but the operator never has to get out of the truck. “It’s all controlled within the vehicle,” Baclit said.
Baclit said a commitment to environmental responsibility has pushed his company to greener efforts, as well. The asphalt emulsion is recyclable and cleaning agents used on the trucks are biodegradable and produce no waste materials.
Headquartered in Pennsylvania, Patch Management Inc. has operations in New Orleans and Washington, D.C. The technology has been used in Passaic and Somerset counties, and by the New York State Department of Transportation.
Baclit said the company leases out trucks to various locations, trains the operators and provides maintenance and all the materials. He added as “technology changes, we upgrade them.”
Baclit said cost varies, but according to reports, the traditional pothole repair method costs an average of $68, whereas the Patch Management Inc. method costs $38.
“Everybody’s budget is being stressed today,” said Baclit. “This makes sense. It’s cost effective, environmentally friendly and safer.”
E-mail: greenberg@northjersey.com
