asphaltdrivewaygravelpatch
What is the best way to fill a pothole in asphalt?
There are some huge potholes in an alley used by 5 homes that I would like to repair – meaning it gets a fair bit of traffic each day.
Would gravel be a sustainable filler into the holes?
Does it have to be more asphalt?
Pick a sunny day, with ABSOLUTELY no chance of rain that day. If it rains within a few hours of the sealing job, you won't be happy. 24 hours will be plenty of time for it to dry though.
The perfect day would be sunny, but not incredibly hot, as sealing a driveway would be miserable work on a blistering hot day. Remember, you will be standing on black pavement in the sun.
Start work in the morning, to give it time to dry in the sun. Keep anything off it for a day.
3/4 minus (21AA in US Midwest) is perfect for this application.
Hope you have some college kids around, that's nearly 2 cubic yards!
I would overdig another 6" to be able to place an edging to retain the gravel and make a clean edge.
Place the gravel in 2" "lifts" (lay down 2") and then compact with a plate vibrator. Repeat twice. Enjoy!
6" compacted will be quite solid and stable.
Update
This edging can be backfilled with dirt to grow grass. Just place it when you are 2 1/2" from the top. Its usually staked with landscape nails every 2 ft, but I'd do it every foot. I know you're not using pavers, but this will retain the edge of the gravel. You don't have to do anything with the asphalt edge, unless it is rolled over unevenly, in which case you can cut it with a masonary blade in a circular saw.
Best Answer
Cold patch asphalt repair can be packed into holes and stands up well for standard car/truck use. If the hole is really deep you can pack crushed rock to fill the hole and save some $. I would not use pea gravel to fill the deeper holes as it never locks together like crushed rock. After filling and adding the patch material I like to run over it with my truck to pack it then if needed add a little more until the patch is even with the original level.