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(NewsUSA) - Some states only experience two seasons instead of the usual four -; winter and pothole repair season.
Potholes present a growing problem for communities. Rough roads wear down tires and ruin vehicles' alignments, making cars more dangerous to drive. Potholes can endanger cyclists, who might drive closer to traffic to avoid rough patches, or fall. Senior citizens and mothers with strollers can find it difficult to walk on chewed-up roads, making towns less pedestrian-friendly.
A study of U.S. highways suggested that vehicle repairs for damage caused by potholes and other hazardous road conditions cost the population $4.8 billion annually. According to a 1997 report from the Environmental Working Group and Surface Transportation Policy Project, this is nearly four times the $1.3 billion spent on road repairs by state highway departments each year.
Pothole repair can take two forms -; workers can either replace the whole road or fill in the potholes. Traditional methods of filling potholes do not solve the problem -; new potholes can develop at any time. But they do extend the life of roads and make them safer.
Filling potholes, however, takes time and energy. Many municipalities lack the manpower needed to keep up with aging roads. Transporting repair materials, which must be kept warm, can be problematic. In many areas, workers cannot fix potholes in the winter, leaving roads dangerous until spring.
Some companies, perceiving the need to fix potholes more efficiently, have started to develop new technologies for safer roads. Power of the Dream Ventures, Inc., a Hungarian technology company, has created a way to fill potholes permanently with recycled plastic granules. The plastic granules do not require special equipment to ship and can be heated on location, saving energy and fuel costs. The plastic completely fills and waterproofs potholes.
For more information, visit www.powerofthedream.com. Power of the Dream trades under the symbol PWRV on the OTCBB exchange.