Roads are an essential part of our everyday lives, but we never consider how hazardous the surface can be to vehicles, motorists or pedestrians. According to pothole.info, trucks carry 32 million tons of goods across roads every day, and 240 million registered cars travel 2.9 trillion miles yearly. Considering these numbers, with an estimated population of 1.67 million people in Phoenix alone, asphalt repair in Phoenix is essential to our economic growth and the safety of our citizens.
That is a lot of wear and tear not only on a vehicle but on our roads as well. No wonder things like potholes and cracks in the pavement appear, especially in a state like Arizona that has an estimated population of over seven million people. Potholes alone can cause hundreds to thousands of dollars in damage. Not only that but of the approximately 33,000 traffic accidents each year, one-third involve poor road conditions, and 27 percent of major urban roads are deemed substandard.
How Do Potholes Form?
The big question is, how do potholes even form? According to trafficsafetystore.com potholes form when pavement comes under severe stress from severe weather and the constant pressure of oncoming traffic. These are most common in areas that receive a lot of snowfall or lots of moisture because water seeps into the ground under the asphalt and pavement. However, this does not mean that cities like Phoenix, Los Angeles, or El Paso are in the clear when it comes to the development of potholes. If you’re from any of these cities, you know that to be true.
According to Forbes, two out of the twelve states they listed do not even get a lot of rainfall or snowfall like a state like Washington. What does that mean for us in Phoenix? How do they form here? Potholes in places like Phoenix, Tucson, and Los Angeles form because of excessive heat, wear and tear, and time. Asphalt repair in Phoenix, with our rapidly growing population, is essential to everyone’s safety.
How Can We Prevent Potholes?
How can we prevent potholes in places like Arizona that do experience excessive heat regularly? We can and are doing this by doing routine maintenance on heavily commuted roadways, but with the number of commuters increasing rapidly, we are falling behind. Cities nationwide can help prevent potholes by doing routine asphalt repair on roads that are still in good shape. Cities can do this by hiring asphalt companies to do crack sealing, roadway patching, and overlays, but these solutions will only fix the problem temporarily.
The big issue for city and state governments is to make sure that there is money allocated for such maintenance. According to pothole.info, the annual investment required by all levels of government is now estimated to be $185 billion per year for the next 50 years. Sadly, the nation’s yearly investment is only $68 billion. For places like Phoenix, asphalt repair is best done during our colder months when the asphalt and concrete have contracted as much as they can, revealing cracks.
Asphalt Repair in Phoenix
A woman-owned asphalt and repair services company, L&L Asphalt has been awarded many contracts by general contractors and municipalities, even ADOT. Our services include permanent asphalt replacement, street widening, asphalt overlays, asphalt repair, and more. Contact us today at (623) 434-1200 for more information on these and other services.
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