Unrealistic Quick Fixes:
Why Shortcuts in Road Maintenance Don’t Work - Pavement Matters Podcast – Episode 10
🎙️ Featuring Firas Noun, Senior Project Engineer, Pavement Management Services
The Problem with Quick Fixes
In the evolving field of pavement engineering, decision-makers are under increasing pressure to deliver outcomes faster and cheaper. Whether it's political timelines, budget constraints, or public pressure, this often leads to the adoption of "quick fixes"—short-term surface treatments applied to extend pavement life without addressing the root causes of deterioration.
In this inaugural 2025 episode of Pavement Matters, host Lachlan McLean sits down with Firas Noun, Senior Project Engineer at Pavement Management Services, to unpack why these solutions often do more harm than good. He debunks the misconception about quick fixes and further delves into the actual meaning, as well as the technical consequences, economic impacts, legal exposures, and safety risks associated with reactive maintenance practices.
The conversation is a must-listen for anyone managing pavement networks, from government agencies and local councils to contractors and consulting engineers.
🎧 Watch the full episode here:
👉 Unrealistic Quick Fixes: Why Shortcuts in Road Maintenance Don’t Work
📌 Whether you're a civil engineer, asset manager, project planner, or contractor, this episode is a reminder: Don’t let short-term pressure create long-term problems.
What Are Quick Fixes in Pavement Maintenance?
Quick fixes refer to surface-level or cosmetic treatments applied to existing pavements in response to visible distress, without addressing the fundamental structural or subgrade issues contributing to that distress.
Examples include:
Thin asphalt overlays applied over cracked pavements
Localised patching of potholes or delaminated areas
Application of sealants or rejuvenators without prior investigation
Crack sealing used to mask reflective cracking or fatigue
While these treatments can temporarily restore ride quality or visual appearance, they lack the structural depth and engineering backing required to offer long-term performance. The root causes—such as subgrade instability, base layer moisture ingress, fatigue cracking, or drainage failure—remain unaddressed.
Why Are Quick Fixes Chosen?
Firas highlights several systemic reasons why quick fixes continue to be implemented:
Budget constraints – Maintenance funding is often insufficient for full-depth rehabilitation.
Project deadlines – Political or contractual timeframes may not allow for a comprehensive assessment and design.
Reactive culture – Agencies respond to complaints or visual damage rather than condition data.
Lack of technical guidance—In some cases, decision-makers lack access to performance modelling, traffic loading data, or life-cycle costing tools.
These drivers are often short-sighted and fail to consider the long-term implications of ignoring deeper pavement failures.
Technical Failures Resulting from Quick Fixes
Surface treatments that neglect underlying problems lead to accelerated failure mechanisms, including:
1. Fatigue Cracking
Applying a thin overlay on a structurally deficient pavement does not restore its load-carrying capacity. As a result, wheel loads quickly reinitiate cracking—especially under heavy traffic.
2. Rutting and Shoving
If subbase materials are saturated, poorly compacted, or under-designed, they deform under load. A cosmetic surface treatment offers no resistance to this and will rut or shove under wheel paths within months.
3. Moisture Ingress
Inadequate sealing or patching allows water to penetrate, which weakens granular layers, reduces bearing capacity, and leads to stripping, potholing, and edge deformation.
4. Delamination
Overlays placed without proper surface preparation or tack coating can delaminate, reducing skid resistance and introducing safety risks.
The Economic Case Against Shortcuts
A central theme in the discussion is the economic inefficiency of repeated reactive maintenance.
While a quick fix may appear to cost less upfront, it rarely extends pavement life significantly. In fact, it often leads to:
Repeated interventions within short timeframes
Escalating costs due to deferred rehabilitation
Reduced network condition ratings, which can affect funding models
Poor return on investment (ROI) compared to well-planned treatments
Firas underscores the importance of using whole-of-life costing rather than initial capital cost as the basis for treatment selection. When long-term maintenance, safety liability, and service life are factored in, the quick fix becomes the most expensive option.
Legal and Safety Risks
Cutting corners in road maintenance doesn't just cost money—it increases legal exposure and compromises public safety.
1. Duty of Care Failures
Agencies have a legal obligation to ensure the road is safe for users. Liability can extend to asset owners and contractors if a known structural defect is masked with a temporary repair and leads to an accident.
2. Environmental Non-Compliance
Quick fixes that ignore drainage or subgrade moisture can contribute to erosion, sediment runoff, and breaches of environmental standards—particularly in rural or environmentally sensitive areas.
3. Insurance and Claims Exposure
Poor surface conditions increase crash risk. When it's revealed that cheaper options were chosen over long-term solutions, insurance claims can be denied or disputed.
Best Practices for Sustainable Pavement Maintenance
To avoid the pitfalls of quick fixes, the conversation turns to proven strategies that support sustainable, long-term road performance:
✅ 1. Qualified Engineering Input
Investing in expertise means starting with proper pavement condition assessments, deflection testing, GPR analysis, and performance modelling. Engineers understand how to interpret distress types and choose solutions that target the underlying problem.
✅ 2. Fit-for-Purpose Materials
High-quality binders, aggregates, and modified asphalt mixes selected for traffic loading and climate conditions offer measurable performance improvements.
✅ 3. Preventive Maintenance and Early Intervention
By acting early—with micro-surfacing, crack sealing, and rejuvenators applied to otherwise sound pavements—agencies can delay major works by years at a fraction of the cost.
✅ 4. Strategic Budgeting and Asset Planning
It’s not about spending more—it’s about spending smarter. Asset managers should use tools like the PMS-AUS system, life-cycle models, and pavement deterioration curves to optimise timing and treatment selection.
✅ 5. Compliance and Monitoring
Routine visual inspections, LCMS surveys, and structural condition monitoring ensure that pavement performance aligns with design expectations and allows for timely intervention.
Final Thoughts: From Reactive to Strategic
The key takeaway from this episode is that road maintenance is an engineering challenge, not just a financial one. Quick fixes often result from short-term thinking, but they fail to deliver on safety, durability, and value for money.
If we want roads that last, we need:
Data-driven decision-making
Investment in durable materials
Commitment to long-term asset preservation
As Firas notes, “If you do it right the first time, you build trust, credibility, and long-term performance.”