Scientists Are Working On Ways To Cure Potholes, Forever

Potholes seem to pop up out of nowhere. One day they aren't there and then one day BOOM, OUCH, there they are. My husband seems to think I aim for them, but sometimes it;s hard to avoid them.

As of right now, potholes aren't really that bad. We haven't had any real winter weather yet. Once we get out first significant snow fall, mixed with some icy rain and then a thaw, the potholes will seem to breed like rabbits. In some areas, it will be hard to dodge them as you drive. I have hit a pothole so hard that it blew my tire. Potholes can not only blow your tire, but they can knock your car out of alignment.

Ever wondered HOW and WHY a pothole forms?

Thanks to this infographic from INDOT of Southwestern Indiana, posted on Twitter last year, we have the answers.

Normally, when I hear a story of how something has been through a lot, it makes me empathize with them. Not in this case! LOL I still hate them. #sorrypotholes

Now, scientists are actually working on a couple things that could cure potholes forever. According to The Verge, those things involve asphalt and concrete. Yeah, I know that sounds a little ridiculous but, these aren't just regular road materials. We're talking self healing asphalt that literally can heal itself.

Erik Schlangen, a scientist at Delft University in the Netherlands, invented the asphalt.

...asphalt has small steel fibers mixed in, which makes the asphalt conductive. If you add heat by running a big induction machine — basically a huge magnet — over the asphalt, it’ll warm up the asphalt and steel fibers and then the small cracks close on their own.

The key to curing potholes is to also make stronger concrete too.

..the most promising solution is adding a special bacteria to the concrete. The bacteria live inside the mixture, and produce calcium carbonate that helps fill in the cracks when they develop. “We know that these bacteria can live in nature for more than 200 years, so we developed technique to put those bacteria in the concrete and it’ll survive lifetime of concrete structure.

Wow, the future look bright when it comes to curing potholes. Soon, we will be telling our grandkids about things called potholes that used to cover the roads and try to destroy our tires. This will be included in the discussion abut stopping to talk on a pay phone.

Find out more about the hopeful results, from a decades worth of research, HERE.