The extended spell of hot weather in Dunedin over the past
couple of weeks has played havoc with the seal on a few of
the city's roads.
Dunedin City Council roading projects engineer Evan Matheson
said a combination of hot weather and problems with the way
the bitumen was laid were to blame for the seal being
stripped by vehicles on the four affected roads.
The roads affected were Rattray St, Balmacewen Rd, Easther
Cres, which would be fixed over the next month, and Moray Pl,
which had already been fixed.
The long spell of warm weather sped up the rate at which the
bitumen would normally deteriorate.
Construction problems were usual on a few roads, but in
normal conditions the bitumen could still be expected to last
two to three years.
Without construction problems bitumen could be expected to
last eight to 10 years before the road needed to be resealed.
The council would most likely address the issue by removing
the bitumen from the roads and replacing it with more
expensive asphalt.
Mr Matheson said Dunedin was not the only place which had
encountered problems with its roads due to the heat.
''With this extended spell of hot weather I think every road
controlling authority in the lower South Island has been
having problems of one form or another.''
In general, roads in Dunedin were more susceptible to damage
from heat than places with warmer climates because the
bitumen used had to be able to withstand cold.
''We have a got a bitumen that can handle our winters, but
the flip side is that if we get extended periods of warm
weather then that bitumen just goes a little bit soft.''
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