🕳️ Hong Kong's potholes and repair progress (Editor's thoughts)

Hong Kong residents, especially those who drive, cycle, or even walk, have likely experienced that startling "boom!" sound as you're driving. Looking down, you discover a pothole, an uneven asphalt surface, or even cracks leaking water.

As a longtime street observer, I've noticed an increasing number of potholes in Hong Kong in recent years, with the progress and efficiency of repairs becoming a hot topic of public debate. Today, I'll focus on the local situation in Hong Kong and provide an in-depth analysis of this everyday yet significant safety issue.

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1️⃣ Why are there potholes on Hong Kong roads?

The cause of potholes in Hong Kong is not a single factor, but the result of multiple conditions.

① Impact of weather and climate

• Hong Kong has a subtropical climate with hot and humid summers and dry winters. The temperature difference causes asphalt pavement to expand and contract.
• During heavy rains and typhoons, large amounts of rainwater will seep into cracks in the road surface, wash away the base layer, create gaps, and eventually cause the asphalt to collapse into potholes.

② Traffic volume and heavy vehicle pressure

• Hong Kong's roads are heavily used, especially by heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses.
• Heavy pressure accelerates the wear and structural fatigue of asphalt, causing the road surface to age faster.

③ Underground engineering and repeated road opening

• Hong Kong's underground is densely covered with water pipes, cables, gas pipes and other facilities, and engineering departments often need to open roads for construction.
• If the road surface is not compacted enough during repaving, cracks and potholes are likely to reappear in a short period of time.

④ Insufficient maintenance cycles

• Some roads fail to undergo regular preventive maintenance, waiting until problems become serious before addressing them.
• The practice of "delaying until the last minute" has led to an increase in the number of potholes, affecting driving safety.

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2️⃣ The actual impact of potholes on citizens

The editor has observed that both drivers and pedestrians are troubled by potholes.

🚗 Car owner/driver

• High risk of tire burst: When driving over a pothole at high speed, the tire or aluminum rim is easily damaged.
• Damage to the vehicle's suspension system: Driving on uneven roads for a long time will accelerate the wear of the shock absorbers.
• Traffic safety threats: Drivers suddenly change lanes to avoid potholes, increasing the risk of collision.

🚶 Pedestrians and cyclists

• The road surface is sunken and waterlogged, making it easy to slip.
• A single wheel stuck in a pothole may cause the vehicle to roll over.
• Pushing a stroller or elderly person's walker through the area can cause bumps and danger.

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3️⃣ Why is the repair progress so slow?

Hong Kong government departments (such as the Highways Department) do have an "emergency repair" mechanism, but the common situations faced by the public are:
Potholes appear → Repair crews don’t show up until days or even weeks later → Road is paved a few days later.

The editor analyzes the reasons for the delay:

① Complicated reporting and testing procedures

• Potholes need to be reported by citizens, police or inspectors, and then arranged for an engineering team to inspect them.
• Construction will be scheduled only after on-site assessment, and the process may take several days.

② Engineering and transportation coordination

• The roads in Hong Kong are narrow and crowded with people and vehicles, so road closures or diversions are required for maintenance.
• It is necessary to coordinate time with the police and the Transport Department to avoid traffic paralysis.

③ Project outsourcing and contractor arrangements

• Most road maintenance is done by private contractors.
• If the same contractor is responsible for multiple locations at the same time, it may be necessary to allocate manpower and machinery.

④ Weather and safety factors

• Asphalt cannot be laid effectively during rain or on wet surfaces.
• Nighttime construction requires additional safety measures and lighting equipment.

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4️⃣ Existing maintenance mode

The editor sorts out the common pothole repair methods in Hong Kong:

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5️⃣ My personal experience

A while ago, I was driving along the Chuen Lung section of Tsuen Wan when I encountered a pothole so deep I thought I could fit a fist inside. After reporting it to 1823, it took three days for a repair vehicle to arrive. While it was eventually patched, I saw at least three other cars with affected tires in the interim.

This example reflects that even if there is a report, repairs still take time to coordinate, and the risks during this period are borne by road users .

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6️⃣ Recommended improvements

① Introducing AI and unmanned vehicle inspections

• Use camera cars or AI to analyze road images to automatically detect the location and size of potholes, reducing reliance on manual reporting.

② Establishing a "48-hour pothole repair commitment"

• Following the Singapore model, contractors are required to complete temporary repairs to high-risk potholes within 48 hours.

③ Optimize construction materials

• Adopt elastic asphalt or polymer mixed materials to extend service life and reduce repeated maintenance.

④ Public maintenance progress platform

• Allow citizens to check the status of pothole reports and estimated completion time on the website or app to improve transparency.

⑤ Regional maintenance batch processing

• Multiple potholes in the same area can be handled at one time, reducing duplicate work and traffic disruption.

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📌 Editor's Summary

The pothole problem in Hong Kong may seem like a minor matter, but it actually involves road safety, government efficiency, and the allocation of public resources .
The editor believes that:

• Prevention is more effective than repair.
• Technological and institutional reforms can speed up maintenance.
• Citizen reporting and monitoring can drive improvement.

If we want Hong Kong's roads to be free of potholes, the government, contractors and citizens must work together to ensure that pedestrians and drivers can truly feel safe and at ease.