SAN ANTONIO – This week’s rainy weather has already caused problems on the roads, and may lead to more in the future. According to experts, the more water there is on a roadway, the higher the potential for the pavement to become loose.
“That glue becomes weaker with time, and with the presence of water from the rainfall that we experienced the last few days, that can accelerate damage,” said Samir Dessouky, a professor with the UTSA College of Engineering. “If the water were trapped on the pavement for a period of five hours, maybe half a day, maybe a day, and then you have a traffic going over that water as well, that leads to having those potholes. So really, the real key here is good drainage for the roadways.”
The effects of the rain could still be seen along the U.S. 90 frontage roads near Leon Creek, where crews worked to clean up the damage from flooding. Poor drainage can be a serious, but temporary, problem in construction zones.
“No matter what, it is always safer to turn around and not going through an accumulation of water on the roads because sometimes the water might be stronger, especially [since] that the water is going to lift the vehicle up and then having the water flow might drive the vehicles aside,” Dessouky said.
He said it was important to address potholes or road damage quickly before further problems develop.
“The faster you go and treat the potholes and fix them, the better, because you prevent the damage from expanding to other areas on the pavement and even going further, deeper into layers underneath,” Dessouky said.
In San Antonio, residents can call 311 or use the 311SA Mobile App. Drivers on state roadways can report problems to the Texas Department of Transportation.
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