A hole left when a section of pavement breaks loose, usually where water has entered through cracks and weakened the base, and freeze-thaw cycles and traffic then popped out the cracked pieces. Potholes are the end stage of fatigue cracking, stripping and raveling, and they multiply fastest in late-winter and spring thaws. Quick fixes throw patch mix in and roll it with a truck tire; durable repairs cut the failed area out square and fill it full depth.
Forty-two potholes called in on the county road after the thaw, load the hot box and start at the bridge.
Also heard as
- chuckhole
Related terms
Throw and roll
The quick pothole fix of shoveling patch mix into a hole and compacting it with the truck's tires.
Hot box
A heated, insulated hopper on a truck or trailer that keeps mix hot all day for patching.
Fatigue cracking
Interconnected cracks in the wheel paths caused by repeated bending under traffic, known as alligator cracking.
Stripping
Loss of the binder's bond to the aggregate surface, caused by moisture working into the mix.