Even though they handle thousand pound vehicles driving on them all day and night, road repair is required from time to time. In Florida, it’s common for roads to experience sinkholes, cave ins, potholes, and depressions. These damages can alter the flow of traffic, sometimes instantly, and create an immediate hazard or danger.

What can have such a profoundly destructive impact on concrete and asphalt? Water. Water is usually the primary reason necessitating road repair. Water damage underlines the importance of preventative sealing applications.

Why is water so damaging to concrete and asphalt roads?

Unless the sealing mentioned above isn’t applied, water will penetrate the asphalt or concrete and seep underneath into the base material, weakening it, and cracking as traffic continues to drive over it, eventually forming a pothole. If the new asphalt isn’t packed properly, water will continue to seep in and future road repair will be necessary.

“In the last five years, 16 million drivers across the country have suffered pothole damage to their vehicles,” said John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair. “The problems range from tire punctures and bent wheels, to more expensive suspension damage.”

Road repair can become costly over time, some studies have the damage cost to U.S. drivers at over $3 billion per year, which is why getting roads built properly the first time around is so important. You know who you can trust with that, ARC Development.