Background
Cork County Council began using Roadmaster spray patchers in 2006 to help ease the burden of maintaining the 12,000km of road under their remit. The county is in the bottom 5% for national road maintenance funding, meaning the budget is always stretched.
Traditionally, the main method of road maintenance in Cork involved repairing with cold mix or, more often, lance repair. This process entailed fixing defects using a manual lance application of binder and adding chips with a shovel. It required a driver at the front, an operator at the rear who manually shovelled the aggregates, and a second operator handling the binder lance. However, Plant Store Superintendent John Tobin felt the process lacked efficiency, and he wanted to take a more preventative approach to maintaining the roads across the county. When the time came to expand their fleet, John started exploring alternative options.
“We looked at what we had at the time and saw that buying more lance patchers wasn’t a good investment,” he said.
Roadmaster machines offered a way to cover more ground in less time with a single operator, allowing them to quickly clear existing potholes and focus on preventative maintenance such as repairing edge breaks, cracking and other minor defects before they developed into bigger issues.
John’s team initially adopted a blended approach, using a combination of spray patching and lance patching to cover both reactive and preventative issues. Since then, he has completely changed his way of working. He currently runs a fleet of 6 Roadmaster spray patchers on the 22 present across Cork County, all of which are out full-time maintaining the roads continuously.
“Once you look at the numbers, spray patching is a no-brainer”, said John. “With the lance patchers, 2 men carrying 3 tons per day perform repairs lasting 3 months. With the Roadmasters, one man with one machine carrying 6 tons per day performs repairs that last more than 12 months.”
Making the Change
Making the change to spray patching was a big adjustment, and there was some initial reluctance among senior managers and area engineers. John eventually brought about a shift in mindset through comprehensive machine training.
“We trained everyone we could from senior management to operators,” he said. John produced definitive figures comparing the ROI of the Roadmaster spray patchers in productivity and material efficiency compared to lance patching. This demonstrated how the material savings grew directly in line with productivity.
“Once everyone could clearly see the benefits, it was easy to make the business case for spray patching.”
More Durable, Efficient, and Cost-Effective
One of the key benefits of using the Roadmaster machines for John is the precise material control and calibration, which ensures the optimal mixture of bitumen and emulsion is deployed every time. The result is a more durable finish with no waste, which significantly lowers material costs.
“Patches last up to 12 months in comparison with the average 4-month lifespan of a delay set macadam fix,” he said. This eliminates the labour cost and carbon factor associated with refilling delay set macadam failures.
The year-round operational capability of his fleet of Roadmasters is another huge advantage, as it allows the council to keep up with the huge rise in potholes that occurs over the winter months when traditional maintenance machinery is typically parked up.
“Bitumen sprayers cost as much, but they can only be used from March to October. The Roadmasters can be used year-round,” says John.
Not Just a Pothole Fixer
With their fleet of Roadmasters, Cork County Council have been able to shift their focus to maintaining the roads, preventing the formation of potholes and preserving the longevity of the road surface. This forward-thinking approach has guaranteed significant future savings, and John currently has one Roadmaster working full-time in each of the six engineering areas within his district.
“One Roadmaster maintaining versus eight machines out resurfacing delivers massive savings in terms of cost and carbon,” he says.
Cork County Council also use their fleet to supplement their annual road surface dressing program.
“We use the machines for pre-dressing to even out the roads prior to resurfacing, and where a full road surface dressing isn’t needed, the Roadmasters fill any raw patches and build up the edges to hold the road for another 12 months.”
Conclusion
“This is a new way, it’s a big change for councils and local authorities”, said John. “Spray patching is the way forward for progressive councils and managers, they need to see past the initial outlay and consider the long-term ROI and carbon savings.”