Da:

You are exactly correct (although you exaggerate slightly about the motorcycles for the time being ).

The asphaltic concrete pavement was not properly placed abutting to and compacted with the adjacent pass.

Now City Hall will probably say that this is because we didn’t pay enough tax and thereby forced them to lay off all of their inspectors, but if you drive around the city you will see the same defect in many other streets. You will also notice that this is exactly where water accumulates, penetrates into the pavement, and in the winter, freezes and expands and then thaws and contracts. It is these “freeze-thaw cycles” that weaken the pavement and result in pavement failures that are the ruts you describe that motorcyclists fear. This is the cause of the long, narrow pot holes that we experience in many of our streets.

The proper fix is hand placed hot patch material followed by compaction with vibrating roller. This should have been done immediately, while the adjacent course was still hot.

The minimum now should be crack-sealing... Anything to prevent the infiltration of water will help, but it should be done before the first hard freeze!