By Khang Nguyen

VIDEO: One-man pothole machine

Sep 17, 2015 | 5:35 PM

The city is looking at updating the way pot holes are filled in the city with a self-propelled pothole patching machine.

The Python 5000, manufactured by Superior Road Solutions, is a pothole machine that requires only one person to carry out an entire patching operation.

City workers and officials watched as the machine patched up several potholes on Marquis Road on Thursday afternoon.

The machine is controlled by with a joystick from inside the cab of the machine.

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After pulling up to a pot hole, an air gun blows out any debris. It then sprays tack oil into the pothole before filling it up with asphalt. A mechanism then rolls and packs the product before moving onto the next pothole. The entire process takes less than a minute from start to finish.

City operation manager, Alain Trudel, said the machine could increase efficiency as well as lower labour costs for the city.

“The biggest gain is being able to respond to potholes faster and to get more done in our season with less staff,” Trudel said. “We don’t have the situation where we have to pull into a worksite, set up a safety zone, look out for traffic.

“In the time that it takes us currently to do that, we can have a pot hole fixed by this machine.”

Scott Yasinski with Superior Road Solutions said the machine could quadruple the efficiency of pothole construction throughout the city.

“With this machine, there’s no reason you can’t do at least 160 to 180 potholes in a day,” Yasinski explained. “That’s a huge productivity and efficiency number for everybody.”

A regular crew would be able to finish a maximum of 40 potholes a day, he added.

“The idea of the machine is to keep people off of the road.” Yasinski said. “It’s safety and efficiency both financially and the quality of the potholes.

“Road crews cannot patch in the way you just saw us to today. It’s just not possible with the tools.”

Public works will present the results of the demonstration to city council later this fall.

If the city were to purchase the machine, it would be the first of its kind in Saskatchewan.

The Python 5000 would cost the city around $300,000.

knguyen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @khangvnguyen