Council tackles puncture issue

Clutha District Council roading team leader James Allison hopes a whole heap of hard science can...
Clutha District Council roading team leader James Allison hopes a whole heap of hard science can help improve rural roads for ratepayers. PHOTO: RICHARD DAVISON
A southern council has left no stone unturned in an effort to stop ratepayers feeling deflated.

Following a spate of complaints from members of the public getting tyre punctures on its rural roads last winter, Clutha District Council has been taking extraordinary steps to improve matters in the past 12 months.

Last August, the Otago Daily Times reported several drivers had repeated punctures on roads near Clinton and Kaka Point.

At the time, council operations manager Gareth Phillips said the council had received "quite an increase" in puncture complaints from across the district.

Council roading team leader James Allison said yesterday he and his colleagues had been working hard since that time to address the issues identified.

Central to the new approach was some rock-solid science, he said.

"Aggregate is a strange and complex beast. Even within one quarry you have a wide range of types and quality of rock, so your main problem is trying to standardise what you eventually apply to the road, from continually changing raw ingredients.

"It’s not as simple as shovelling up some gravel and chucking it down again."

The council had adopted a tool called the Paige-Green Index to help formulate roading metal more suitable to local conditions.

"In simple terms, Paige-Green tells you the best proportions of coarser and finer materials to mix together for your desired surface and local conditions.

"It’s one tool to try and ensure drivers have a safe and puncture-free journey."

The council also tested aggregates regularly to determine their quality, Mr Allison said.

"We use an independent tester to see if the end product meets our localised specifications, and they look at size, shape, flakiness and whether shards that might cause punctures are present.

"After 30 years in roading, I can tell you you’ll never get it perfect every time, but that’s certainly our aim."

The council continued to trial new aggregate blends at known trouble spots.

"We’ve had some favourable initial results in the Catlins. Tahakopa Valley Rd for example, which can get very rutted and muddy over winter, has been kept open throughout the season this year."

He said the council took ratepayer concerns about roading seriously.

"We’re leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to improve."

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