University of Minnesota-Duluth researchers pitch lower-cost pothole repairs.

Byline: Brian Johnson

Researchers at the University of Minnesota-Duluth want to hit the road running with a patented repair method thatcould change the way transportation departments fix potholes and other pavement failures.

The method, which has been in field testing for years, uses taconite-based byproducts and microwave technology to repair broken pavements, said Larry Zanko, a senior research fellow with UMD's Natural Resources Research Institute.

Compared with traditional hot-mix asphalt patches, benefits include lower costs, less pollution and more durable fixes, he said.

Zanko discussed the technology at a meeting of the University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies on Thursday. He hopes to roll out the technology on a larger scale within the next year, even as testing continues.

"We feel that this is quite cost-competitive and would provide, ultimately, good savings for a department," Zanko said in an interview. "A big chunk of the savings would be in just the fact that it would be a longer-lasting repair."

That would be good news for motorists and transportation departments alike.

Though precise dollar figures are hard to come by, pothole repairs "continue to be a major maintenance item in the budget of many highway agencies," according to an April 2018study. The study wasconducted for the Minnesota Department of Transportation by Mihai Marasteanu, a University of Minnesota civil engineering professor.

Potholes are a nationwide concern, but they are "particularly nasty" in Minnesota because of the state's cold climate, Zanko said.

As part of the taconite-based process, vehicle-mounted microwave systems heat the pavement and allow the repair materials to bond more permanently with the roadway, according to the NRRI.

Unlike traditional hot-mix and cold-mix repairs, the methodology uses "relatively low-cost and abundant" mining byproducts that don't contain petroleum or Portland cement, thus reducing its impact on the environment, according to the researchers.

"A large percentage of what we're using is really just a byproduct...

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