Road improvements on way

8 November 2013

A $3 million road resealing programme will begin in the Waipa district next month [December].

Subject to weather, Waipa District Council's contractors will begin work in December/January on a 90km resealing programme.

Manager road corridor Dawn Inglis said around 10 per cent of Waipa's roads were resealed each year, depending on funds available and whether or not chip seal or asphalt was used. Asphalt (also known as smooth hot mix) costs around five times more than chip seal and is used mainly on urban roads with high traffic volumes and in commercial areas where noise is an issue.

Chip seal is a good, cost-effective surfacing material for most roads. It provides good water-proofing and still gives good texture for road safety in all weather conditions.

Ms Inglis said because new surfacing can be damaged by fast moving traffic, a temporary 30 kph speed limit was enforced during and immediately after the works. This protected the seal, helped it adhere to the underlying road surface and also protected drivers against losing control of their vehicles in the loose chip, she said. Once the area is swept and road marking complete, the temporary speed limit is removed.

In addition to the resealing programme, Waipa District Council will spend around $3 million between now and June 2014 on reconstructing roads in the district that have reached the end of their economic lives. It is more cost-effective to reconstruct these roads than to continue maintaining them.

This year council contractors will reconstruct Aotearoa Road (Wharepapa south), Buckland Road at Karapiro, Kairangi Road (Roto-o-rangi), Cambridge Road and Tuhikaramea Road. Council also plans to upgrade a section of Shakespeare Street in Cambridge but this must be integrated with planned repairs to the high level bridge. Work will also be done on Makgill Road if funds are available.

Already seal extension works have been completed on Fillery Road and there are plans to extend the road seal at Waite and Waikoha Roads. Council has budgeted $500,000 for seal extension work this summer.

ends

For more information contact:

Jeanette Tyrrell (on behalf of Council), 027 5077 599