Potholes are defects in the pavement
causing a noticeable impact on a car when ran over and
are usually thought of as a hole in the roadway surface.
What causes potholes?
Water
Water seeps into cracks in the roadway surface,
going down to the base. The soil under the
base becomes saturated with water and turns from
hard soil into mud. The road base now has no
support and a hole forms in the soil under the road
base.
Traffic
With the road base no longer supporting the roadway
surface, the roadway surface collapses forming a
hole. Extra weight from trucks increases the
amount of potholes on local roadways.
How are they fixed?
The pothole is fixed by cleaning out
the pothole, placing new asphalt, and compacting it to
roadway level.
Why do they reappear?
Pothole repairs are intended to be
permanent, and normally last for many years if the
causes of the initial problem are corrected. Repairing
potholes during inclement weather, or when an immediate
repair of failed roadway is needed to maintain safety,
may require the use of softer, temporary materials,
until such time that a permanent repair can be
performed.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Pothole Repairs To report a pothole located
on one of the County's streets or roadways.
Customer Service Center
4100 Traffic Way, Sacramento,
CA 95827 Phone:
916-875-5171 Fax: 875-5773
