New technology should be utilised to combat potholes - McCabe

from The Meath Herald July 2023

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The Leas Cathaoirleach ofMeathCountyCouncil, Cllr. Paul McCabe has urged the local authority to use new technology available to tackle the deteriorating road network acrosscountyMeath.

Speaking at the recent Transportation Special Policy Committee meeting, Cllr. Paul McCabe put forwardthecaseforMeath County Council to purchase new pothole repair machines, called High VelocityRoadPatchers.

"These high velocity spray injection patching machines are fast, safe, and efficient, can complete hundreds of metres of repair work in a single shift,andcanbeusedfora variety of treatments including pre-surface dress work, pothole repair, intricate repairs, preventativemaintenance,andedge repair. Our neighbours in Cavan county Council have recently purchased twoofthesemachines.”

"Despite a lot of Government and Local Authority investment,acombination of late, severe winter frosts and warmer, wetter summers has resulted in the significant deterioration of many road surfaces across county Meath, particularly in the North Meath area. This would be a welcome investment by the Council and would go a long way towards restoring the qualityofroadsurfacesfor motorists, cyclists, and pedestriansalike.”

"We already use these machines during busy periods, however we have to hire them into the county at a high cost and we have no staff trained to usethem.”

"The benefits of these machines are endless. They are completely operated by only one member of staff. The machine cleans out the pothole using compressed air, and fills the hole with a computer-calibratedmixofhot material. A significant aspect of the machine is that it can carry 12 tonnes of chippings and two tonnes of bitumen which enables ittoworkafulldaywithout refilling.”

He concluded “These machines also have builtin GPS which allows the local authority to hold records of all repairs carried out.Grants for the purchaseofthistypeofequipment are available from the Department of Transport. I urged Meath County Council to put an application together for the purchase of two of these state of the art machines.”