Temporary Pothole Repairs

A temporary pothole repair is about making the road safe and preventing further damage until a permanent fix can be done.

The key is proper preparation and compaction—even for a short-term repair.

Here’s how to do it correctly:

 Step-by-step temporary pothole repair

1. Clean out the pothole.

Remove loose debris, dirt, water, and broken asphalt

Use a shovel, broom, or compressed air if available.

The cleaner the hole, the better the repair will hold.

 Skipping this step is the most common reason repairs fail quickly.

2. Square up the edges (if possible)

Try to make the pothole edges more vertical and defined.

This helps the new material bond better.

For a quick temporary job, this step can be minimal—but still helpful.

3. Add a bonding layer.

Spray or brush on a bitumen emulsion/tack coat.

Helps the new material stick to the old surface.

4. Fill with cold-lay asphalt.

Use cold-lay tarmac (cold mix asphalt).

Slightly overfill the hole (about 10–20 mm above surface).

Why overfill? Because it will compact down.

5. Compact the material properly.

This is the most important step.

Use:

Hand tamper (for small repairs)

Plate compactor (best option)

Compact in layers if the pothole is deep (>75 mm).

 Poor compaction = repair fails within days.

6. Check level and top up if needed.

After compaction, the patch should be:

Flush or slightly proud of the road surface.

Add more material and compact again if it sinks.

7. Open to traffic:

Cold-lay asphalt can usually be opened immediately.

Traffic actually helps further compact it.

 Common mistakes to avoid.

Filling over water or mud.

Not compacting enough.

Underfilling the pothole.

Using the wrong material (e.g., loose gravel).

Ignoring deep base damage.

 How long will it last?

Typically a few weeks to a few months, depending on:

Traffic load.

Weather (rain/freezing worsens it).

Quality of compaction.

 When is temporary repair NOT enough?

If you see:

Repeated potholes in the same spot.

Large/deep failures (>100 mm)

Cracking around the area.

 A permanent repair (cut-out and hot asphalt patch) is needed.