Public Lab Research note


Potholes in New Orleans Annotated Map Update

by Rgaude | May 13, 2021 14:52 13 May 14:52 | #26573 | #26573

I recorded common flood areas around our school on our map. Most of the school holds several inches of water whenever it rains besides the roads, buildings, and the track. Despite this flooding, there are no potholes on any of the school's roads. However, on a nearby road there are many potholes. The main differences with that road are that it gets a lot of semi-truck traffic and water stays on the road, while the school gets light small vehicle traffic and has cambered roads that do not hold water. We infer that traffic plays a large role in pothole formation and water plays a smaller role. We think that the roads the semi-trucks are traveling on were not designed for that type of traffic, so they lack the sturdy foundation required to prevent damage. The frequent water adds to this problem by eroding the sides of the road and cause instabilities in the road.


0 Comments

Login to comment.