Civil Engineering September 2022 | Vol 30 No 8

T he increase in pothole damage can be attributed primarily to reduced preventative maintenance being applied to many roads, combined with par- ticularly wet periods during rainy seasons and rapidly increasing numbers of heavy vehicles. The actual costs of potholes in South Africa, including damage to vehicles, accidents caused directly by potholes, and other road-user effects, probably run into billions of rands, as suggested by the media. PROJECT OBJECTIVES The Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) signed a service level agreement with the Tokologo Local Municipality’s Department of Roads to implement a com- munity engagement (CE) project. The project, carried about by CiviLab@CUT in 2021, investigated the viability of a new advanced cold asphalt mix during a road maintenance project while enhancing sustainable community engagement activities and promoting socio-economic benefits during the implementation of social and technological innovations. The main objective was to implement a concept that has positive, sustainable, and measurable benefits for the com- munities as well as the industry involved in the project, thus creating shared values such as prospering societies and sustain- able livelihoods. Skills, passion, and hard work were invested in helping the two af- fected communities to improve their lives through this road maintenance project. ACTIVITIES Mixing the materials is a highly qualitative method and was performed by contracting firm Maliepo’s experienced workers to reach the required consistency to be used on the road. The basic principles of pothole repair were shared with the local labourers who were provided by the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) in the towns of Boshoff and Hertzogville: 1. Cleaning the road surface 2. Cutting, excavating and cleaning the cut surface 3. Filling and levelling patch material 4. Compaction with vibrating plate compactors and vibrating roller compactors. Community road maintenance and pothole repair project in Tokologo Municipality Prof. Elizabeth Theron Pr Tech Eng, FSAICE Associate Professor Department of Civil Engineering Central University of Technology Manager | CiviLab@CUT etheron@cut.ac.za Malelo Mweemba Lecturing assistant Department of Civil Engineering Central University of Technology Materials Technician & Project Manager CiviLab@CUT | mmweemba@cut.ac.za Over the past few years, the development of potholes in South African roads has accelerated considerably, leading to serious concern and wide media coverage. Civil Engineering September 2022 31 Left: Covered aggregates. Middle: Mixing team in the municipal yard. Right: Adding binding to the mixer