How can I repair potholes quickly?

Potholes are holes in the tarmac / asphalt / concrete that are caused by the expansion and contraction of water after the water has entered the ground under the surface.

When water freezes, it expands. If water gets into the ground under the top surface and has a chance to freeze, it will take up more space underneath, the surface will expand, bend, and crack, which weakens the surface material. Then when ice melts, the surface contracts and leaves gaps or voids in the surface under the top layer where water can get in and be trapped. If the water freezes and thaws over and over, the surface will weaken and continue cracking.

As the weight of traffic passes over the weak spot, pieces of the material weaken, which will cause the material to be displaced or broken down from the weight, creating the pothole.

What happens when salt is brought into the picture? Water will freeze at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. When salt is used, it raises the temperature that water will freeze. This creates an artificial freeze-thaw cycle that permits more occurrences of the damaging cycle to occur. This happens more often in the spring because of the melting that takes place and because the temperatures fluctuating above and below the freezing point very frequently.