Water is the enemy of our roads, and the leading cause of potholes in the City of Logan. During prolonged periods of rain and flooding, our roads and infrastructure are a lot more susceptible to damage.
Monitoring the condition of our road network is a full-time job. Sometimes you might find a pothole before we do.
If you notice a pothole or road defect that needs urgent repair, please call us on 07 3412 3412 as soon as possible.
You can also report potholes and road maintenance issues online.
Make sure you include the following information:
- road name
- suburb
- specific location of the pothole or a landmark, and the direction of travel.
Potholes form due to a combination of environmental and structural stressors. Several key factors contribute to pothole development, including:
- traffic volume
- drainage
- conditions of the road surface (for example cracking)
- other environmental factors (for example extreme weather)
It's common for the ground to contract and expand during alternating periods of dry and wet weather. This can cause the road surface to move, leading to imperfections such as surface cracking.
Water can infiltrate these cracks, allowing it to seep through the road surface. This water can become trapped and begin to weaken the more vulnerable road base materials.
Vehicles apply pressure on these weakened spots, causing damage that eventually leads to a pothole being formed.
Step 1: Preparation
Any loose debris in the pothole is removed where possible. This step may include cutting out the damaged area to ensure the patch has clean edges.
Step 2: Fill and compaction
A hot mix asphalt is shovelled into the pothole and compacted. In wet weather, a cold mix asphalt is used as a temporary measure, until the more durable hot mix can be used.
Step 3: Leveling
The filled pothole surface is levelled to match the surrounding pavement.
Some pothole patching may be fixed using alternate methods, but the above is the most common.
How long a pothole repair lasts depends on several factors:
- weather conditions
- type of material used
- condition during repairs
- traffic type and volume.
Potholes repaired during wet weather may only be temporarily effective due to limitations on the type of asphalt material used in wet conditions. A follow-up repair may be required once the weather conditions are drier.
Ultimately, pothole repairs are a short-term solution to keep roads as safe as possible until they can be properly repaired.
For more information on resurfacing, visit the Road resurfacing.
Council manages more than 2,400 kilometres of road network across the city. We receive pothole requests daily, so we must prioritise which ones are fixed first. There are a few considerations that influence how we prioritise repair, such as:
- type of road - for example major arterial or local street
- traffic volume - the frequency and number of vehicles travelling on the road
- the severity of the damage
- location of the damage
Once a pothole is reported:
- The information is received by Council.
- Council’s Road Maintenance team creates a defect request.
- Request is assigned to the Pothole and Pavement Repair team.
- Request is allocated to a Maintenance crew in that location.
- The Maintenance crew prioritises the request.
- If a pothole is considered urgent, the request is sent to the Rapid Response team to attend.
- The pothole is repaired by the Maintenance crew, typically within 3 days (subject to site and weather conditions).
To report a pothole
Make sure you include the following information:
- road name
- suburb
- specific location of the pothole or a landmark, and the direction of travel.