Rain brings a boon to crops, a curse to roads

AMMAN — Although the recent spells of rain and light accumulation of snow promises a great agricultural season, it is believed to have worsened the condition of streets nationwide, say motorists. 

Videos circulated on social media platforms purportedly show severely damaged roads in Jordan that had been battered by the recent rainfall, causing much hardship for drivers. 

Considering that Jordan is the second most water scarce country in the world, heavy rainfall promises a good agricultural season and sparks hope that the water supply will not be cut-off randomly during summer.

However, rain in such quantities causes great damage to the streets, Faris Shaher, a road engineer, told The Jordan Times.

Shaher spoke in depth about the impact of continuous rainfall on streets, naming heavy rainfall as “asphalt’s worst enemy”. 

“Sealing asphalt before the rainy season is the optimal preservation technique used to avoid cracks in the roadway,” Shaher said.

As water penetrates the asphalt, it seeps through to the base material under the asphalt. This process weakens the asphalt and reduces the load capacity of the under layer, which causes depressions in the asphalt, he explained.

“As traffic drives over the weakened area, the asphalt begins to crack, and a pothole is formed,” Shaher added. 

However, maintenance and repair work cannot be done in the rain, as asphalt repair requires a clean, dry surface in order to replace the damaged patch of asphalt with a new patch, said Shaher. 

“Nowadays, there are usually pavement preservation techniques that extend the life of the roadway,” he added. 

Research has found that it is more cost effective use the pavement preservation techniques than to have to repair damaged streets, Shaher said. 

“This is a proactive approach: Sealing the asphalt before water can create problems,” he added. 

Meanwhile, commuters and motorists are suffering from severely damaged roads that are in turn causing damage to their vehicles. 

“Jordan’s streets are crying for help,” Ayah Wael, a Jordanian, told The Jordan Times.

Wael added that rainfall has worsened the condition of streets in Amman, resulting in large potholes. 

This issue can pose risks to cars, she added, as “running into a pothole would result in punctured tyres and would ruin vehicles’ suspension and steering alignment”. 

Hamzeh Mahmoud told The Jordan Times that drivers’ attempts to avoid potholes is likely to cause traffic jams and accidents. 

“Although some roads are wide enough that you can safely avoid these potholes, there are cases where you will need to take them head-on,” Mahmoud added. 

Potholes come in numerous shapes, sizes and depths, but all come with the same risk of damaging vehicles in one way or another, he said. 

“It is always best to avoid potholes, or take them at a very slow speed,” Mahmoud added.