Asphalt Repair & Pothole Patching in Grand Rapids, MI

Asphalt repair and pothole patching are the most common calls we get after a Grand Rapids winter. Water gets into a crack, freezes, lifts the pavement, and leaves an empty space when it thaws. Traffic breaks the unsupported asphalt over that space and a pothole opens. A shovel of cold patch fills the hole for a while, but the wet, weakened base under it is still there, so the hole returns. A lasting repair removes the failed area, fixes what is under it and fills it with compacted hot asphalt.

Types of repair

• Saw-cut hot-mix patch. The damaged area is cut square, removed, the base is repaired and compacted, and new hot asphalt is rolled in flush. This is the standard for lasting repairs.
• Infrared patch. The existing asphalt is heated, reworked with new material and rolled, leaving a seamless repair. Good for surface defects when the base is sound.
• Cold patch. A temporary fill for winter emergencies until a hot repair can be made.
• Edge rebuilding. Crumbling edges are cut back to solid asphalt, the base under them is built up, and new edges are placed and backed with soil.

Sunken and heaved spots

A low area by the garage or where a downspout empties usually means the base under it has washed out or was never compacted. A raised hump is often frost heave or a tree root. In both cases we cut out the area, correct the cause where we can (reroute the downspout, remove the root, add drainage stone), rebuild the base and patch. If the problem is a sewer or water line trench that settled, we patch it and tell you so you can watch it.

When repair is not the answer

HomeGuide's guide recommends against quick surface patches when alligator cracking surrounds the hole, damage reaches the gravel base across a wide area, or there are drainage or leveling problems. It also points to replacement when cracking covers more than 60 to 70 percent of the surface or there are multiple potholes. If your driveway is there, we will tell you that patches will not hold and why.

Timing

Hot-mix patches are best done from spring through fall when plants are running and the ground is not frozen. If a pothole opens in winter, a cold patch keeps the driveway usable until we can make the permanent repair. Small jobs can often be combined with crack sealing or sealcoating to make one visit do more.