STRUCTURAL POTHOLE PATCHING
PART 1 GENERAL
1.1SECTION INCLUDES
A.Repair of potholes and delaminated areas on bridge decks and approach
slabs.
1.2RELATED SECTIONS
A.Section 03055: Portland Cement Concrete
B.Section 03211: Reinforcing Steel and Welded Wire
C.Section 03310: Structural Concrete
D.Section 03390: Concrete Curing
1.3REFERENCES
A.ASTM C 309: Liquid Membrane-Forming Compounds for Curing Concrete
B.ASTM C 928: Packaged, Dry, Rapid-Hardening Cementitious Materials
for Concrete Repairs
C.ASTM D 4285: Indicating Oil or Water in Compressed Air
D.ASTM D 4580: Measuring Delaminations in Concrete Bridge Decks by
Sounding
1.4DEFINITIONS Not Used
1.5SUBMITTALS
A.Manufacturer’s product data sheets for review.
1.Include installation instructions for information.
B.Curing procedure for review if using rapid setting repair mortar. Include at
least the following:
1.Curing method
2.Curing period
Structural Pothole Patching
C.Qualifications for review
1.Manufacturer’s technical representative information. Include at least
the following:
a.The company name
b.The name, phone number, and documented experience of
the technical representative.
2.Experience of superintendent in charge of Structural Pothole
Patching.
a.Required when the manufacturer’s technical representative
will not be present during placement. Refer to this Section, paragraph 1.6 A3.
b.Include at least the following for at least five previous
Department projects completed in the last five years: 1) Project name 2) Project location 3) Structural Pothole Patching material used 4) Year of construction 5) Engineer of Record and owner contact information (phone and email)
D.Structural Pothole Patching Documentation for information
1.Document the size, location, and repair material used in structural
pothole repair areas.
2.Use the “Structural Pothole Patching As-Built” template found at the
Department’s website for each bridge.
a.Refer to http://www.udot.utah.gov/go/standardsreferences.
b.Submit digitally in .pdf and .xlsx format.
1.6TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE
A.Manufacturer’s Technical Representative
1.Provide a technical representative from the structural pothole
patching product manufacturer for training and consultation.
a.Provide training in surface preparation, proper mixing,
placing and finishing technique, safety precautions, traffic opening time, and environmental requirements. 1) Train workers who will mix, place, or finish the structural pothole patching product during production work in a pre-production meeting. 2) Use a mockup to demonstrate proper mixing, placing, and finishing technique. 3) Coordinate training with the Engineer.
Structural Pothole Patching
b.The manufacturer’s technical representative must:
1) Be onsite during surface preparation and application of the structural pothole patching product on the initial structure and for the first day the structural pothole patching product is used on the project. 2) Be available for consultation but not necessarily present at the job site for the remaining work. 3) Be available to train workers who did not attend the preproduction training before they can perform production work.
2.Do not use workers for the production work who have not been
trained by the manufacturer’s technical representative.
3.The Engineer may waive the requirement for the manufacturer’s
technical representative to be onsite if the Contractor can demonstrate that the superintendent for the work has performed at least five satisfactory applications of the structural pothole patching product on five previous Department projects completed in the last five years.
a.The manufacturer’s technical representative must be
available for consultation throughout the duration of the application.
4.The Department reserves the right to require the manufacturer’s
technical representative to be onsite if at any time the Engineer is concerned with the product installation quality.
PART 2 PRODUCTS
2.1MATERIALS
A.Concrete – Class AA(LS), ¾ inch maximum aggregate. Refer to
B.Rapid Setting Repair Mortar – Refer to ASTM C 928.
1.Type R3.
2.Free of magnesium phosphate.
3.Capable of being placed into a single lift layer thickness of at least
6 inch.
a.Limit maximum aggregate size to 3/8 inch
b.Meet manufacturer aggregate requirements when
aggregates are not pre-blended.
C.Reinforcing Steel
1.Coated reinforcing steel according to Section 03211.
Structural Pothole Patching
D.Water – Use potable water.
E.Curing Compound – Refer to ASTM C 309, Type 2.
2.2EQUIPMENT
A.Jackhammer
1.30 lb class
2.15 lb class
B.Pressure Washer
1.At least 3000 psi but no more than 7000 psi
C.Sandblaster/Air Compressor
1.Verify air is free of water and oil according to ASTM D 4285.
PART 3 EXECUTION
3.1PREPARATION
A.Locate delaminated and spalled concrete in the bridge deck and approach
slabs in the presence of the Engineer.
1.Remove asphalt surfacing before conducting sounding survey.
2.Mark a rectangular area surrounding each pothole as shown. Refer
to ASTM D 4580.
3.Notify the Engineer if sounding indicates the pothole patching
quantity will exceed the estimated quantity by more than 25 percent.
a.Do not proceed with saw cutting and concrete removal
without the Engineer’s authorization.
3.2CONCRETE REMOVAL
A.Make 1 inch deep saw cuts in the sound concrete along the rectangular
perimeter of the repair areas.
1.Make saw cuts less than 1 inch deep when shown.
2.Stop saw cuts and notify the Engineer if reinforcing steel is
encountered.
3.Splice reinforcing steel that has been cut to a cut depth equal to or
greater than 25 percent of the diameter of the reinforcing steel.
a.Provide lap lengths of the new reinforcing steel with sound
existing reinforcing steel at least of 32 bar diameters on each side of the cut.
Structural Pothole Patching
B.Use jackhammers to remove damaged, shattered, and delaminated
concrete.
1.Jackhammer class.
a.Use jackhammer class of 15 lb or less for removals in areas
directly below the top reinforcing steel or within 3 inch of prestressing strand.
b.Use 30 lb class jackhammers for all other removal.
2.Do not place jackhammers directly on reinforcing steel.
3.Operate jackhammer at an angle greater than 45 degrees as
measured from the element surface.
4.Remove the concrete in the repair area to at least 1½ inch below
the concrete surface as shown.
5.Remove the concrete to the greater of 5/8 inch or aggregate
diameter plus ¼ inch below the bottom of the top mat of reinforcing steel if the reinforcing steel is exposed during concrete removal.
a.Do not remove concrete below prestressing strands unless it
is delaminated.
6.Protect existing reinforcing steel encountered.
a.Replace or repair damaged reinforcing steel.
7.Stop work and contact the Engineer if more than a 2 ft continuous
length of prestressing strand is exposed.
a.Do not resume removal operations until authorized by the
Engineer.
C.Remove remaining fine loose materials by dry sweeping or by
compressed air with at least 90 psi pressure.
D.Deck Blow Through
1.Immediately stop the equipment and notify the Engineer and make
the necessary adjustments to limit the area of complete concrete removal if removal blows completely through the bridge deck.
2.Provide appropriate falsework and formwork to support construction
loads safely.
3.Use treated plywood to facilitate stripping.
E.Replace existing reinforcing steel that have 25 percent or greater section
loss.
1.Cut and remove deteriorated existing reinforcing steel.
2.Match the size of the new reinforcing steel bar to the existing bar.
3.Provide lap lengths of the new reinforcing steel with sound existing
reinforcing steel at least of 32 bar diameters.
Structural Pothole Patching
3.3PATCHING CONCRETE
A.Sandblast to remove rust from the exposed reinforcing steel and concrete
surfaces before placing the structural pothole patch.
1.Protect in-place any sound reinforcing steel.
a.Do not repair damaged epoxy coating on existing reinforcing
steel
2.Re-sandblast reinforcing steel if rust occurs before placement.
B.Clean the repair area by blowing with clean and dry compressed air at
90 psi.
C.Pressure wash the repair area.
1.Remove standing water while maintaining a saturated surface.
2.Repeat pressure washing of the repair area before placing the
structural pothole patch if the repair surface shows signs of drying out.
D.Repairs using concrete
1.Place concrete and strike off level with deck surface. Refer to
Section 03310.
2.Finish and texture surface of bridge deck and approach slab
according to Section 03310.
3.Apply type 2 liquid membrane-curing compound and wet cure the
repair area for at least 7 days and until the concrete repair has a compressive strength of at least 3500 psi.
a.Refer to Section 03390.
E.Repairs using rapid setting repair mortar
1.Follow the manufacturer’s requirements.
2.Use a texture process that produces regular ⅛ inch wide transverse
grooves spaced randomly from ½ inch to ¾ inch on centers and ⅛ inch deep.
3.Follow the authorized curing procedure.
4.Do not allow traffic onto the repaired areas until the patching
material has reached an approximate compressive strength of 3000 psi as determined by a rebound hammer.
3.4PROTECTION
A.Prevent debris from falling into waterways, pedestrian areas, traffic areas,
or onto railroad tracks.
END OF SECTION
Structural Pothole Patching
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Source: Utah Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction, 2026 Edition. Pages 1106–1111 of 1,331.
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