28 March 2012

Federal Highway slowdown as resurfacing contractor gets a spanking

| johnboy
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Territory and Municipal Services seem a bit shirty with their resurfacing contractor after being forced to reduce the outbound speed limit of the Federal Highway to 60:

“This area of road was resealed last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. An inspection has identified that due to the level of loose stones still on the road the speed limit should be reduced to 60 kilometres per hour,” Director, Roads ACT, Tony Gill, said today.

“This speed limit reduction has been done to maintain motorist safety.

“The contractor has been instructed to sweep the road. Once this has been undertaken Roads ACT will assess the road surface and determine what other follow-up work the contractor needs to undertake.”

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This was apalling.

Nice to know that the Govt is happy for us to be NSWs poor cousin with third world roads. I mean right at the welcome to the ACT sign it changes from asphalt to noisy chipseal. How much more obvious could the difference in standards be!!!

It’s a bloody mess. The stones haven’t stuck to whatever they use to stick them down and there are smooth tyre lines everywhere. Did some bedraggled youth knock on TAMS’ door and say “Hey, man, do you want your road sealed? Twenty bucks.”

JC said :

floradora said :

Much of the damage is caused by intellectually challenged SUV drivers who can’t read, comprehend and adhere to the 60 kph limit. Having Plod enforce the speed limit would help.

As for whingers about chip seal (and yep know Mr G Al will attack me for this) but at the end of the day for our roads this is an appropriate way to deal with the core issue. Yes it produces issue, but can we really afford to gold plate our roads with hot mix unless they really need it?

“chip seal” is cheap and nasty. It’s a complete waist of money. Wait till it rains again then it will flake off the surface and be back to square one again. If they want to fix the roads they should do it properly in the first place.

JC said :

As for whingers about chip seal (and yep know Mr G Al will attack me for this) but at the end of the day for our roads this is an appropriate way to deal with the core issue. Yes it produces issue, but can we really afford to gold plate our roads with hot mix unless they really need it?

When you take into consideration the number of time the continually have to resurface the cheap chip seal, then do another few patch up jobs in between, the hot mix surfacing would probably be very good value for money. It should last a good 20 years, compared to <2 years at best.

JC said :

As for whingers about chip seal (and yep know Mr G Al will attack me for this) but at the end of the day for our roads this is an appropriate way to deal with the core issue. Yes it produces issue, but can we really afford to gold plate our roads with hot mix unless they really need it?

Well, it is dangerous for anyone on 2 wheels. At least now we have some warning, before self government they would spread the gravel with no signage 🙁

floradora said :

Much of the damage is caused by intellectually challenged SUV drivers who can’t read, comprehend and adhere to the 60 kph limit. Having Plod enforce the speed limit would help.

Ken oath. Got a nice cracked windscreen and a chip on my paint the other day out Hay way by a truck doing 100km/h instead of the sign posted 60km/h on freshly sealed road. Grrr the limit is there for a bloody good reason.

As for whingers about chip seal (and yep know Mr G Al will attack me for this) but at the end of the day for our roads this is an appropriate way to deal with the core issue. Yes it produces issue, but can we really afford to gold plate our roads with hot mix unless they really need it?

p1 said :

A section of Coppins Crossing Rd was recently chip sealed. I had slowed to the sign posted 60km/h (no knowing what the signs were indicating), and received quite a shock when I hit the layer of loose gravel. Certainly was exciting on the motorcycle for a few days until vehicles had swept away the bulk of it (from the tyre ruts at least).

Cycling back from a Stromlo Crit last Tuesday, the gravel pushed me well in from the edge.
This Tuesday wasn’t as bad, but I was still encouraged to ride further from the edge than I’d normally choose.

Just before they’d chipsealed Heysen St where it descends to Streeton Drive, adding a parking lane where I’d normally ride – unswept, that felt unsafe at 40; taking the middle of the car lane was fine at my usual 50 so I did that. Thankfully local traffic has removed enough of the gravel so I can again ride to the left (except at the bottom where I need to ensure I don’t get cut up by a left turning motor as I’m braking from 55).

Much of the damage is caused by intellectually challenged SUV drivers who can’t read, comprehend and adhere to the 60 kph limit. Having Plod enforce the speed limit would help.

Surely one has a legitimate claim for compensation in the event of damage to property this time (see past riotous discussion about potholes and compo)?

Is this not an acknowledgement that the result of work is not to spec.?

You get what you pay for. Lodge a complaint at TAMS if you want them to stop doing it.

bitzermaloney11:23 am 28 Mar 12

Around 1999/2000 Tuggers Parkway was chip sealled one April which was followed by a very wet winter. It was a motorcyclist nightmare.

Belco way worse as they maded to run grooves in the road running parrellel with the road. Felt like you were riding on a knife edge in the dry. Road stayed like that for almost 18months, from memory because the contractor to reseal the road went bankrupt.

A section of Coppins Crossing Rd was recently chip sealed. I had slowed to the sign posted 60km/h (no knowing what the signs were indicating), and received quite a shock when I hit the layer of loose gravel. Certainly was exciting on the motorcycle for a few days until vehicles had swept away the bulk of it (from the tyre ruts at least).

It’s a bloody mess. I’ll never understand this method of resurfacing. I’d just washed the car on Sunday and was trying very hard to stay well below 60, with stones spraying everywhere, whilst also trying to avoid further damage by avoiding others driving at the normal 100kmh…

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