Pothole Solutions

[Freedm]

Alright, so potholes are happening again, and they are literally my least favourite thing about living in Edmonton and every spring I get frustrated that after all these years we still haven't been able to get this issue under control. I always thought there must be a way to make asphalt stronger, or perhaps we should just be using more concrete, at least at intersections or major roadways. Yes, I know concrete is more expensive, but in the long run it should still be worth it. Even Alberta Transportation, in regards to the South West leg of the Henday said the concrete used there, would still be less expensive, than had they used asphalt, over the lifetime of the roadway. So why not use more of it???

Then lo and behold, I turn on CTV morning news a few days ago and it seems some researchers in Calgary have found a way to make concrete cheaper and stronger.

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/university-of-calgary-researchers-creating-better-concrete-1.4851435

”Instead of using one tonne of your concrete, you may need to use 70 per cent of that, or even 50 per cent of that, and still achieve the very same properties that you're looking to achieve.” said Husein. ”Imagine how much saving that will happen in terms of energy consumption and material use if you're using nanoparticle cement. You can use half as much and get the same load bearing capacity.”

For some reason however, these guys see capping oil wells as their number one market, but in my opinion roadways (and even sidewalks) seem like a no-brainer. If even the original concrete, though more expensive at the outset, is typically cheaper in the long run, then surely this new concrete tips the scales in favour of it. Why would we not use it?

 

[Avenuer]

Winnipeg seems to use more concrete than us for some reason. Given their similar climate to ours, I'm not sure why we haven't adopted it to the same extent as well (unless it is much cheaper in southern Manitoba than central Alberta).

 

[Airboy]

Its not just climate it is also the sub soil conditions. How the base prep is done. We are starting to see the use of recycled concrete and a deep aggregate under the crushed gravel. This allows the water to seep down. When it was just a clay layer that would seal the water into the upper levels.

At least that is what I was told by on of our civil guys

 

[Freedm]

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying they've found a way to make concrete more usable here, given our clay conditions?

 

[archited]

^ There are many new discoveries in concrete technology and workable additives that are applicable to cold climate uses from self-warming slabs to fibre reinforcement that allows for slabs to remain continuous and contiguous. There are also concrete substrates with fibre reinforcement that enable concrete slurry pours to gain strength as well. They have begun using them on Freeways in California -- their wearlife has been vastly improved.

 

[Freedm]

And that's what we need here. Some outside the box thinking and some creative solutions. I hate spring time in Edmonton because the roads are atrocious. They're just embarrassing. Why do we keep doing the same thing and expecting different results? The bad roads are literally the only thing I hate about Edmonton.

I've emailed my city councillor on this issue and he said he would bring it up with the roadways guy "the next time they chat". I suspect I'm going to have to remind him.

 

[Daveography]

@Freedm I seem to recall reading that we are using more modern and improved roadbuilding techniques now that do hold up better in our climate conditions, and that the majority of the problem roads today are ones that have not been rebuilt in 1+ decades (by rebuilt, I mean from baselayers up, not just resurfacing). Don't quote me on that, though.

 

[positive1]

My opinion: Biggest problem is the lack of drainage from the road surface in freeze/thaw conditions. Snow is plowed to the side of the road and left in the curb and gutter. When the snow thaws on warmer days the melt runoff can’t get to the catch basins and so it sits on the asphalt, usually parallel to the curb and gutter. Night comes and the runoff freezes; any that has got into cracks or holes in asphalt will expand and damage the surface. Any runoff that gets into the gravel base and freezes will expand and damage the asphalt surface. I’ve lived here 9 years and the first winter I observed this. Maintenance in winter must be the key. If snow melt and other storm water can’t shed off the asphalt and into catch basins we are going to have the same problem every year.

 

[Freedm]

Clearing snow vs not clearing the snow has a big impact, but it's impossible to prevent all water from seeping into the cracks. Even when they clear the snow, they're not getting 100% of it, and there's only so much they can do. Even the snow that gets pushed to the side runs back onto the street when it melts. It's just an unwinnable battle.

@Freedm I seem to recall reading that we are using more modern and improved roadbuilding techniques now that do hold up better in our climate conditions, and that the majority of the problem roads today are ones that have not been rebuilt in 1+ decades (by rebuilt, I mean from baselayers up, not just resurfacing). Don't quote me on that, though.

Hm... it actually sounds like you're talking about the same thing Airboy mentioned earlier.