Sudbury looking into best ways to patch a pothole

Greater Sudbury wants to find the best way to patch a pothole, and hopes results of a study will help narrow down the field.

City councillors got an update Tuesday night on research that started last summer. That study is due to resume this spring once pothole season returns.

Tony Cecutti, Sudbury's manager of growth and infrastructure, told council that last year that seven types of materials used for temporary patching were tested on potholes. The test site was a stretch of road near the Greater Sudbury Airport.

Two products were eliminated because they did not perform well for the conditions.

"Have we learned something that has changed our process?" Sudbury mayor Brian Bigger asked.

"We're still in the process of evaluating the efficiency and the effectiveness of various materials," Cecutti said.

"Although it may not seem like a success, ruling out a couple of products that don't work out well — had our operations been using those, certainly there would be more complaints around the city."

"I do consider even finding things that don't work to be somewhat of a success," he added.

CBC News asked about the two materials eliminated from the study. Cecutti said they were manufacturing brands, and he declined to give the names.

Can learning be accelerated?

The next phase of the project will begin this spring. Bigger said he is concerned the testing process is taking too long. 

"I'm just wondering if there is a way to have more sites and kind of accelerate the learning from this pothole study so it doesn't take three years?" the mayor asked city staff.

He suggested expanding the testing site to an entire road, instead of just individual potholes, and use best practices studies and material listed by the National Transportation Authority.

"Pick Barrydowne Road and use the premium patching materials and see how that works in March," Bigger suggested.

"Anyway, I'd just like to encourage some testing on a broader scale than seven potholes with seven different types of material."

Continuously discovering what works best

Cecutti says despite the pothole study, Sudbury has adopted a continuous improvement model.

"As we find new things that work — to the extent that it doesn't require a budget change — we will implement them right away," he said.

That means whenever new practices, technologies, materials, equipment or processes are attempted the results will be reported to the operations committee.

"We intend to, at least once a year, report on our work to adopt new practices, look at new technologies, look at materials, look at the processes, and we will continue to do that on a regular basis," Cecutti said.

"We believe we have a better understanding of what works and what allows us to work."