Unrealistic Quick Fixes: Why Shortcuts in Road Maintenance Don’t Work
In pavement management, quick fixes refer to reactive, surface-level treatments—such as thin overlays, minor patching, or superficial sealants—applied without addressing underlying structural or subgrade issues. Short-term budget constraints or schedule pressures often drive them, but they bypass critical processes like condition assessment, design verification, and material suitability.While these solutions may temporarily improve ride quality or visual appearance, they fail to resolve the root causes of deterioration, leading to accelerated fatigue, rutting, moisture ingress, and repeated intervention cycles.In this episode, We are joined by Firas Noun, Senior Project Engineer at Pavement Management Services, to unpack why these shortcuts lead to:Technical failures – early cracking, base instability, and structural failureEconomic waste – frequent rework, inflated lifecycle costs, and poor return on investmentLegal exposure – safety breaches, environmental non-compliance, and liability riskCompromised safety – increased hazards for road users due to degraded performanceWe also explore best practices for long-term performance:✅ Qualified engineering input✅ Durable, fit-for-purpose materials✅ Preventive maintenance and asset planning✅ Compliance and regular condition monitoringLet’s start the year by committing to sustainable, evidence-based road maintenance—not reactive fixes.
South Africa