A pothole is a hole or depression in the roadway that may vary in size and shape. 在城市里, a pothole is considered an area of missing or deteriorated pavement that is up to approximately 25 square feet in size. Sometimes other pavement surface damage is believed to be a pothole, 然而, not all road defects are categorized as potholes.

Pothole repairs typically fall into one of these three categories depending on the 位置, cause of the pothole and the severity:

1.       壶穴修复: This is the most common method used. This process involves filling the missing area with replacement pavement material. For areas with light traffic, cold patches are typically used because of the quick application process. For high traffic areas or for large potholes, hot mix asphalt is used for higher durability and performance. 

2.       基地维修: 用于基础修复, road maintenance staff removes the distressed area of pavement where the broken asphalt is allowing for 水 to get through and is weakening the subgrade material. Once removed, hot mix asphalt is placed, and a roller is used to compact the asphalt.

3.       康复: In some cases, the pavement may have multiple potholes and failures. For instances like this, the pavement may require complete rehabilitation. 为康复, the asphalt is completely removed, the subbase material is replaced, and a new layer of hot mix asphalt is applied. This process is very expensive and is completed by Capital Improvement Projects and not road maintenance staff.

凹坑 are prioritized based on various criteria, including the size and depth of the pothole, 位置, speed and amount of traffic on that road. In general, repairs are prioritized in the following order:

1.       动脉的街道

2.       收集器的街道

3.       住宅街道

If a pothole is deemed dangerous, it will be treated as an emergency.