Potholes, a direct result of authorities’ indifference

 

Freak accidents relating to potholes and bad road conditions are a great concern to all road users.

Recently, a lot has been said about potholes in the country. These frequently found potholes have caused vehicle accidents, serious injuries and even deaths.

Hitting potholes, or trying to avoid them, have caused road users to lose control of their vehicles, crash into oncoming vehicles, skid or scuff the road flanks.

The lack of proper drainage systems and weak proportioning of premix and aggregates for road construction are considered as major reasons for pothole formation.

With a weak road foundation, it allows for water to clog and seep into the ground under the pavement and this will later lead to its expansion and contraction.

The distension and contraction of road layers, thermal cracks, shedding and tangling of the roads will then lead to the worsening of road conditions.

What more when heavy vehicles pass over the weak spots in the road, pieces of the pavement will weaken, which causes the material to break down from the weight, creating cracks and depressions to the road.

Poor enforcement of the law on overloaded trucks plying the roads is another main cause of roads being damaged. Regrettably, the enforcement on such trucks in Malaysia is rather lax.

Techniques for pothole patching

Also, are the roads being repaired following the right content specifications?

Commonly used techniques for pothole patching are throw-and-go, throw-and-roll, semi-permanent, and spray-injection. However, throw-and-go is the most commonly used method for pothole patching because the material can be applied quickly and the cost is low.

Sealing cracks in a pavement is the most common step in preventing potholes but more often than not the process does not conform to the right content specifications. The content of premix and aggregates may be tempered to save cost.

To overcome this ruse, developed nations have come up with auto road patching vehicles that can identify weak points in roads, drill and repair the damage following the standards required by the authorities.

The computerised process is much cheaper than the traditional method and the content of premix and aggregates used can easily be computed to specifications and pre-monitored by the authorities.

According to the specifications set by the Public Works Department (JKR) a long time ago, before the country’s independence, all roads were to be paved with at least four inches of premix and 12 inches of aggregates. During that time, this rule was strictly followed.

Rarely was this order broken by devious means, such as bribing the authorities to get shoddily built or repaired roads to be approved. Are the present authorities still keeping to this practice?

Lackadaisical approach

Unfortunately, in many cases when road repair works are given to contractors this practice is not being strictly adhered to.

Most roads are constructed with only one-third of the specifications to save cost and yet they get passed by the authorities.

So what can road users expect? Bad roads that need to be repaired over and over again, with taxpayers’ money.

The consequence of this bad practice has caused frequent damages to roads. Potholes and deep grooves, gaping fissures and road drops have become normal features in Malaysian roads.

Many road users are not even aware of these sporadically-filled patches, especially when driving at night or when it rains.

A recent court case also revealed how the main contractor given the project to build and repair roads had just sub-contracted it out to second or third parties.

This means the main contractor is making money out of thin air and the sub-contractors then have to cut costs to make some profit for themselves. Just imagine the type of work that will be produced by the second or third parties.

This lackadaisical approach to improving the road conditions has resulted in road cracks, from minor to severe ones.

Taxpayers’ money has been wasted and road accidents keep on rising. The authorities should think of more severe measures to curb this problem before more innocent lives are lost.

Moaz Nair is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.