Potholes are a nuisance- and should be repaired quickly to prevent further deterioriation to the driveway. Most potholes are caused by water being trapped in pockets below the surface, which causes the gravel base to fracture outwards, with cracks radiating from the hole.

 

In order to the repair the drive, you must first dig out the fractured area – which may not be fully visible. As a general rule, excavate the pothole so it is about twice as big as it was to begin with. Next use non-descript crushed rock, Class 3 crushed rock, or Recycled Concrete to fill in layers of about 50mm. Wet and compact this later using a compaction plate or roller.

 

Driveway materials can be stabilised by adding 1-3% cement. This can be mixed in at SouthPoint Garden Supplies, or you can do it yourself. Continue building up the layers of crushed rock in 50-75mm layers, until it is at the desired level. If your driveway has an aesthetic topping, such as Tuscan Topping, Lilydale topping or Highland Topping, the final layer should be composed of this topping.

 

Once all layers are fully compacted, it should be ready to drive on. It may need another top-up as the weeks go on, or if it is severely fractured, the pothole may re-appear. In this case, it is recommended to fully grade and re-lay the gravel base. In order to minimize the risk of future holes appearing, try to lay the driveway with a gradient that will allow water to run from the middle of the drive off to the edges.