WITH the poor state of local roads and the prevalence of potholes in mind, City of Ballarat staff have announced their approach to repairs.<\/p>\n
Mayor Cr Des Hudson said above average rainfall has been the major cause for roads to fail, and there\u2019s a backlog of about 800 repair jobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of our residents have been talking about this issue,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to own it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe understand people need to be safe on our roads, and some of the potholes we\u2019ve seen are really deep and causing damage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the last couple of weeks, we\u2019ve been able to commit more resources, with three new teams coming on to be part of the road maintenance crew, and we\u2019re waiting for the weather to fine up to… tackle this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the next three to four months, and if the weather improves, Cr Hudson said the City\u2019s aim will be to get the job list down to zero.<\/p>\n
Executive manager of operations Luke Ives said the size and number of \u201cdefects\u201d on a road will determine priority sites, but people can expect to see lots of activity.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur first response is to repair the defect. We\u2019ll go through and fill that with a variety of product, from spray seal to full grade product, as well as asphalt,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a contractor perspective, that requires the removal of the road, so we\u2019ll take out about 150 millimetres of material, and replace it with asphalt over a larger section.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor spray seal, it will be a series of closing roads at a particular time and laying down an emulsion and a stone on top.\u201d<\/p>\n
Director of infrastructure and environment Bridget Wetherall asked motorists to be kind.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople don\u2019t like potholes, and they don\u2019t like roadworks,\u201d she said. \u201cBut our staff are experiencing some challenges in dealing with the general public when they\u2019re out on the road, doing their best.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WITH the poor state of local roads and the prevalence of potholes in mind, City of Ballarat staff have announced their approach to repairs. Mayor Cr Des Hudson said above average rainfall has been the major cause for roads to fail, and there\u2019s a backlog of about 800 repair jobs. \u201cAll of our residents have […]<\/p>\n