Two new road surfaces, one of which is only a little over a year old, have started to break-up due to the bad weather.
Gages Road in Kingswood was resurfaced by South Gloucestershire Council in two phases during 2009. A stretch from its junction with Courtney Road to Westons Way was resurfaced in March 2009 and the remainder to its junction with Orchard Vale was completed in November of the same year. Local councillors had undertaken a long-running campaign for the resurfacing of Gages Road as they were concerned about a large number of potholes and broken surfaces throughout the length of the road.
Now, less than two years after the new surfaces have been put down, large patches of cracked tarmac have appeared, a sign that the road is breaking up and potholes are beginning to form.
Local councillors for the area Roger Coales, Andy Perkins and Pat Rooney (Labour, Woodstock) said:
“We realise that bad weather can cause road surfaces to break-up due to repeated freezing and thawing, but a brand new road surface really should last longer than this.”
Local resident Gareth Manson who works with the councillors on their campaigns said he felt that the Council needed to tackle the contractors who did the original work. He said:
“I think the Council needs to ask its contractors some serious questions. For a road surface to start breaking up after little more than a year suggests to me that there is something wrong with either the tarmac that was used or the quality of the work.”
The councillors intend to write to the Director of Community Services to insist that the contractors are forced to make good the defective work before even more of the road surface breaks up.
Source: Woodstock Labour Councillors
I seem to remember that when ‘patching’ work was carried out on damaged road surfaces or jointing new tarmac to an adjoining surface, a ladle of hot, liquid tar was applied around the joint to seal it and therefore preventing the ingress of water. This does not seem to be done these days and the resulting gap will allow water to get into the joint. During the next freezing spell that water will freeze, expand and consequently force out the newly-laid edges. From then on the condition deteriorates quickly. Surely, reverting to filling the edges of a repair/new surface would be cheaper in the long run, be more durable and easily done at the time of the initial repair.
Just a thought!
Ian