Concern over melting road seal

Robert Scott inspects melted tar and loose aggregate on Saddle Hill Rd.  Photo by Christine O...
Robert Scott inspects melted tar and loose aggregate on Saddle Hill Rd. Photo by Christine O'Connor.
A melting Dunedin road is dangerous and motorists are fed up waiting for it to settle down, a concerned resident says.

Saddle Hill resident Robert Scott said the sealing of Saddle Hill Rd by Fulton Hogan contractors was a ''second rate job and not fit for purpose''.

On hot days since Christmas, the road melted and became a mix of wet tar and fine aggregate chip.

''The hotter the day, the worse it gets.''

One side of the road melted more than the other and some motorists drove on the wrong side to avoid the wet tar, he said.

Vehicles using the road - including heavy trucks from Saddle Hill quarry - sprayed aggregate chip and tar.

A broken windshield was a constant concern when travelling on the road, he said.

He called the council and roading maintenance engineer Peter Standring assured him the road would ''settle down'' given time.

Mr Scott said expecting motorists to wait was unreasonable and Fulton Hogan should fix the road immediately.

''The council don't have the guts to make them honour the contract and give us a decent road,'' Mr Scott said.

Mr Standring said any ''fresh reseal'' had looseness in the chipseal and it would get better given time.

''This seal will settle down, I'm confident about that.''

However, the hot Dunedin weather was testing the bitumen's capabilities.

Mr Standring said if the seal performed the same way next season he would be concerned and investigate seriously.

In the meantime, the council would have the road monitored and if there was a safety concern, would act immediately, he said.

Saddle Hill Community Board chairman Scott Weatherall said he had serious concerns.

The new seal from ''the quarry to the cattery'' on Saddle Hill Rd was lifting when the temperature was 20degC or hotter.

He had made the council aware of his concerns.

Fulton Hogan declined to comment on the condition of the road and referred inquiries to the council.

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