The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is one of the departments in the Philippine government responsible for handling major infrastructure projects, including national roads. They serve as the government’s engineering and construction arm and continuously develop different technologies to ensure the safety of every infrastructure they construct.
DPWH’s ultimate goal in working with Rua Seguridad is to ensure road quality and safety across the country. They believe that Rua Seguridad, a leading distributor of road construction products, can provide them with the materials and services they need in constructing and repairing roads.
The Road Repair Challenges
The challenge faced by DPWH is the potholes that form on national roads, affecting the quality of the surfaces. This problem, no matter how big or small can decrease the safety of pedestrians and motorists using the road.
Potholes are a symptom of water damage. They often form when the water that has entered the road surface starts to expand and contract. With this phenomenon, the pavement weakens and cracks.
As different vehicles—including heavy trucks—continue to pass over the weak spot of the road, pieces of the road’s materials continue weakening. After a while, the weight and pressure will cause the pavement’s materials to become displaced or broken down, creating potholes.
At first, the damage is small, almost unnoticeable by drivers and pedestrians. However, as time goes by and no repair is done, potholes can become bigger and pose a risk to the safety of motorists and other people.
Pothole Repair for Better Road Quality and Safety
From August to October 2021, Rua Seguridad worked with DPWH in repairing potholes across the different District Engineering Offices (DEOs) in Luzon. This was done in part for product acceptance, particularly to ensure that the cold mix asphalt provided by Rua Seguridad is a viable solution for road damage repair.
Together with DPWH, Rua Seguridad visited seven DEOs across Luzon. They repaired potholes in the following areas for demonstration:
- Metro Manila 1st DEO
- Metro Manila 2nd DEO
- Metro Manila 3rd DEO
- Bulacan 1st DEO
- Bulacan 2nd DEO
- Las Pinas-Muntinlupa DEO
- South Manila DEO
The overall feedback for Rua Seguridad’s cold mix asphalt is outstanding. Those who worked with the material found its packaging easy to open and carry. They also deemed the product highly workable because it is easy to apply on dry and wet road surfaces.
Additionally, DPWH workers across all DEOs found that they can open the road to traffic in less than five minutes after the compaction of the cold mix asphalt. This minimized traffic disturbance and avoided congestion in the designated work areas.
DPWH also had some great comments about Rua Seguridad’s cold mix asphalt. One comment stated that this product is less difficult to apply because it can be poured onto the pothole straight from the bag. The product also did not need additional materials before it can be used.
Three DPWH members also commended the product because of its flexibility. Rua Seguridad’s cold mix asphalt can be applied even to wet surfaces, which effectively lessens the preparation time for pothole repair jobs.
Solution Provided by Rua Seguridad
Rua Seguridad offers various road repair solutions that can be used in dealing with potholes. The first option they provide is hot mix asphalt, which is a material that needs to be applied at very high temperatures using specialized equipment. Only professionals that have the training and experience in asphalt or road repair are qualified to use this material.
The second option—and the one chosen by Rua Seguridad for DPWH—is cold mix asphalt. This material is ready to use straight from the bag and is often considered ideal for non-commercial repair jobs because of the various benefits it offers:
Environment-Friendly
Cold mix asphalt has been recognized to be more environment-friendly than its counterpart because its mixing and application can be done at low temperatures. This means that there is no need for diesel-powered machines when using cold mix asphalt to repair roads.
Therefore, companies can save more energy when repairing roads using cold mix asphalt. They also do not have to worry about producing fumes and other airborne emissions, which can be harmful to the environment and people’s health.
Using cold mix asphalt will also allow contractors to create less waste. Any leftover material can be used for other future road repair projects and kept safely in a container.
Less Downtime
When using cold mix asphalt, contractors do not need to worry so much about traffic because the material can be used to patch up potholes quickly. Within a few minutes after applying cold mix asphalt, the road can be reopened to motorists and pedestrians right away.
This means that companies do not need to block off one side of the road for one whole day or week just to let the material dry and set in the pothole. Drivers can immediately benefit from the repaired portion of the road and do not need to get stuck in traffic for several hours.
Easy to Use
Contractors do not need to acquire any high-tech equipment when working with cold mix asphalt. All they need is a minimal workforce, a shovel, and a few minutes to permanently fix the potholes that formed on the road surface.
The road repair can also be executed during any weather condition. This is possible because cold mix bitumen can adhere to any type of road, whether it is wet or dry. Therefore, contractors do not need to wait for fair weather before setting out and repairing potholes.
Instant Application
With cold mix asphalt, contractors do not need to obtain additional materials, such as primers and tack coats. Cold mix asphalt comes pre-mixed with primers, so it can readily be applied to the pothole.
The only preparation contractors need before applying cold mix asphalt to the pothole is to ensure that the surface is free from debris, leaves, and loose stones. Then, they can start repairing the pothole using the material.
An Effective Pothole Repair Solution
After the demonstrations, DPWH considers Rua Seguridad’s cold mix asphalt a suitable material for repairing potholes. They also think that this product is better than the current product they are using for pothole repairs.
Rua Seguridad always makes sure that the products they provide are of high quality. This allows them to forge professional relationships with different organizations in the Philippines. For more information on the products and services they offer, do not hesitate to get in touch with their team today.
