A mini-series following my 44mm-high Homies character Pelon, where he poses for photo ops at potholes on the streets of Mount Tabor Park.
Leadership fixes potholes, not patching.
Chronic neglect of Portland’s streets is manifesting in the burgeoning number and size of dangerously large potholes across the city. Here, pothole road damage is seen in Mount Tabor Park, Portland, Oregon.
Engineering: From a technical perspective, a great deal of information can be gleaned from a deep pothole, as it provides a cross-section-view of the pavement structural section…or lack thereof, as in this case. Here, the asphalt wearing surface is heavily pitted, highly oxidized and brittle, confirming many years of neglect. The asphalt layer is minimal; confirming this road never received the maintenance originally planned. The size variation of aggregate chunks in the base course layer tells the story of a roadway constructed originally from well-graded materials. Roadway base course should be well-graded, faceted aggregate so as to provide optimum particle interlock. The breakup of pavement behind and to the left of Pelon – at the gutter – suggests that poor drainage played a role in this failure, and absence or repair has allowed water to saturate the base layers and complete the failure. This road has failed due to neglect and no amount of patching will restore a level of service – or service life – that should be reasonably expected of it.
#portlandpotholes #PortlandOregon #MtTaborPark #potholes #neglect #deferredmaintenance #fail #safety #politics #civilengineering