New machine can fix potholes in minutes

Central Beds Council is one of the first authorities in the county to trial the new, innovative road patching machine that could dramatically slash repair times for potholes.

Instead of the usual hour that conventional methods take, the high tech new machine can fix them in just two minutes.

The machine, can fix potholes within two minutes rather than the hour that conventional filling methods can take, and is being tested at the moment across the roads in Central Bedfordshire.

The driver operates the process from the safety of the vehicle cab, without having to go onto the road.

A robotic arm extends from the cab over the pothole and fills it with material to permanently fix the pothole.

Cllr Brian Spurr said: “Maintaining our roads is a really key priority for the council, although we’re conscious that there is a balancing act between keeping the roads safe and minimising disruption for our residents, as well as keeping our highways teams safe while they work.

“We’re constantly investigating new ways to keep up to speed with road improvements, and trying out innovative technology like this ticks all the boxes to help us keep the road network moving. The road patcher is still going through a trial phase but could potentially be another way that we can improve the service for our residents.”

Central Beds road users will soon see these innovative machines operating across the region.

Employees from the highways team at Amey, which runs the highways service on the council’s behalf, have been receiving training in how to use the new machine, ready for use on the local motorways and trunk roads.