The Future Of Potholes: Could Infrared Heat Be The Solution To SoCal's Bumpy Roads?
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — No matter which road you take in Southern California, you're bound to hit a pothole.
But a company in Gardena is promising to save Los Angeles time and money with a cost-saving repair system - if city leaders get on board.
Dave Dworski, of Dr. Pave, says the company uses an infrared heating system to smooth out bumpy roads.
The machine heats the damaged asphalt to over 300 degrees, forming a crust that's then scraped away, and leaving a new surface to work on.
"What it's doing is heating the asphalt - melting the asphalt," Dworski told KCAL9's Juan Hernandez.
Binding pellets and oil strips are then mixed in.
"[You're] actually rejuvenating existing asphalt, processing it that way and creating new asphalt," Dworski said.
The current way of fixing the problem is known by some in the industry as "throw and go," meaning quick patches.
The repairs, however, don't seem to last very long.
But Dworski says his system could change that.
During the repair, more asphalt is mixed in, then leveled off and rolled over to create the new, longer-lasting surface.
"By doing that we've welded the old asphalt with the new repair," he explained.
The big sell to this new technique is no seams - meaning water can't get in - prolonging the life of the repair.
"[It's] very innovative, new, different. As you can see, it looks brand new," ground technician Garrick Goods said.
Dworski is hoping his technique will catch on.
He's been demonstrating it to Southland city leaders, showing it only takes two people to operate, recycles asphalt and will cost cities a lot less by cutting down on repeat repair work.
"[It costs] less money [and has a] longer life. It benefits the cities and the consumers," Dworski said.
More information about the infrared heating system is available on the Dr. Pave website.