Council Announces Thermal Pothole Repair Trial - Thurso One Of The Trial Areas
16th February 2024
The Chair of The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee has announced that a 3-week trial of a thermal process for pothole repairs will be taking place.
An external contractor, Thermal Road Repairs, has been appointed to undertake the trial before the end of the 2023/24 financial year.
The thermal repair process uses existing material on site which is recycled and added to as necessary. This reduces material costs and the carbon footprint of the works.
Chair Councillor Ken Gowans said: "I'm delighted that arrangements are in place to start the trial as soon as possible. The company Thermal Road Repairs have a wealth of experience. The system they use provides a high output but has low emissions and creates no waste when providing a permanent fix to potholes.
"Their range of equipment is designed to suit many different situations from roads defects and joints to pavements, utility trenches and hard to reach areas. We look forward to seeing the results and getting feedback on how the trial in Highland goes."
The company will meet with Council roads staff on site to agree the works. They will then programme them and provide details once work is completed.
During the trial, repairs are expected to be undertaken in Thurso, Dingwall, Inverness and Fort William, weather dependent.
Thermal Road Repairs
Highland council have tried various new solutions in the past few years. In 2016 new Jetpatchers were hired temporarily. In 2021 the council took part in a demonstration of JCB's Potholepro See
https://projectplant.co.uk/2021/05/revolutionary-pothole-fixer-arrives-in-highlands/
The problem is the solutions only tackle a fraction of the problems that have been building up over many years due to lack of funding from Scottish Government. The latest Thermal road repair idea will perhaps fix some potholes but the scale of the problems has now gone far beyond filling potholes as some roads need a complete rebuild. With a looming budget crisis both for Highland and Scottish Government it would seem unlike the funds will be there to deal with this growing problem.
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