Pothole repair machine receives high praise for patching up Staffordshire roads
A pioneering machine which repairs potholes in an average time of eight minutes has been praised for its role in patching up Staffordshire's roads.
Three months after JCB's Pothole Pro clocked onto its first shift, Staffordshire County Council has said it is on track to repair approximately 14,000 metres squared of road by the end of March next year.
The machine will be making its way around the county ahead of the winter months to carry out routine repairs and preventative pre-patching when weather conditions make it difficult to tackle defects.
The Pothole Pro made its debut in July, with its first job being to assist in resurfacing the roundabout outside the JCB Heavy Products in Uttoxeter, which is part of a larger £300,000 scheme on the A522 Uttoxeter Road.
David Williams, Staffordshire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "It important to us to ensure that Staffordshire’s roads are safe and well looked after so our county can stay connected.
"The Pothole Pro is an iconic piece of kit that should bring confidence to residents that we are providing the best possible service when fixing our roads, and are always willing to innovate to repair as many defects as possible."
The JCB machine is designed to repair potholes in an average time of eight minutes without the need for additional specialist equipment or manpower.
It works by cutting, planing, and sweeping road defects before they can be filled with asphalt, and can prepare up to 250 metres squared of roadway in a single shift.
Mr Williams added: "The Pothole Pro is a tremendous addition to our arsenal of machinery to help us repair our roads as efficiently as possible so we can minimise disruption to motorists.
"Alongside other tools such as the thermal road repairs, our pothole-blasting Roadmaster and of course our crews who are out and about carrying out manual repairs, we are well-equipped to carry out repairs well into the autumn, and make good on our £30 million investment in improving Staffordshire’s highways over the next two years."
The machine is currently being used to assist council crew with the preventative maintenance preparation works in Kingsford Lane, Kidderminster.
