Become a Member: Get Ad-Free Access to 3,000+ Reviews, Guides, & More

’Tis the season for resurfacing roadworks

Resurfacing Roadworks midweek warriors regional

Riders should be aware that spring and summer is the season for resurfacing roadworks in most southern areas because the warmer weather makes asphalt more stable and easier to compact.

NSW alone has more than 175km of road resurfacing scheduled over the next few months. However, asphalt resurfacing occurs all year round in Queensland, north NSW and northern parts of South Australia and Western Australia.

Roads and Maritime Service Regional Maintenance Director John Dinan says asphalting work starting this month includes the Ballina Bypass (Pacific Highway), the Bruxner Highway near Alstonville, Pacific Highway where to intersects with the Oxley Highway, and at Coffs Harbour.

Oxley crashes

Oxley Highway campaigner Ken Healey says “lazy road crew” left “heaps of gravel” on six corners with no warning, causing five riders to crash over the weekend.

10 reasons you should ride to Save the Oxley temporary repairs resurfacing
Ken Healey

“Lazy bastards think it’s funny, Ken says.

“Caused five riders to come down on the weekend. Three on Saturday and two on Sunday.

“One needed the helicopter due to a broken leg.”

Ken warned riders recently of the roadwork angers.

You should always ride to the conditions, but be particularly cautious if you see any evidence of recent roadworks activity, whether there is a sign or not.

Dangers for ridersRoadworks etiquette Resurfacing Roadworks

Poor roads, inferior roadworks and incomplete cleanup after roadworks are particularly dangerous to motorcyclists, causing crashes and even fatalities.

We have reported on many of these incidents and there are many Facebook sites designed to alert riders of road conditions.

There is even a Bad Roads Rally planned for Victoria before the state election.

Riders should also check relevant websites provided by road authorities and automobile clubs that list roadworks.

You can also use some of these sites to report dangerous road conditions.

Resurfacing statsRoadworks speed limit - potholes Halloween Rider successfully sues over roadworks crash Resurfacing Roadworks

John says there is about 2.5 tonnes of asphalt per cubic metre of road and they can lay up to 2000 tonnes of asphalt per day. They target resurfacing 2.3% of all tarmac roads a year.

“Asphalt is safe, smooth and durable and is up to 100% reusable,” he says.

“It’s also flexible and new technologies used is making asphalt a more sustainable choice for road surfaces.”

Australian Asphalt Pavement Association NSW Executive Director Dougall Broadfoot says motorists are not allowed to ride on newly laid asphalt until it has cooled to below 60C.manilla road asphalting resurfacing rpadworks

“If the new asphalt surface is not allowed to cool down sufficiently, passing vehicles may affect the smoothness of the surface before it sets,” he says.

“By driving over soft asphalt it may create bumps and grooves on the surface, which would be a less smooth journey for motorists. An uneven surface also causes water to pool in the grooves.

“So please be patient when near worksites, for the safety of yourself and workers. Follow the instruction of traffic controllers and the reduced speed limit of 40km/h when work is carried out.”

  1. Hey guys, I am a Civil Engineer and rider. I rode the OH on Friday and saw first hand the number of roadworks sites between Wauchope and Gingers Creek and the recent works completed that were left in a very poor state. However there were no asphalting crews, only spray sealing works occurring. Asphalt provides a much smoother surface and better ride however is much more expensive. The construction process also does not require loose gravel to be placed on the road. We should be campaigning RMS for more Asphalt!!!

    Spray sealing however does require loose gravel and what causes loss of adhesion. They will typically spray a bitumen and gravel mix onto the road to ‘seal’ the surface then drop extra gravel over the surface to ensure sufficient protection. They then roll this into the road via rollers or public vehicles. They should however sweep it or leave signage up before leaving the site.

    Some of the sections that were recently completed seems like they were caught out in the rain but I am sure they will fix it. They definitely need more signage up there though!

Comments are closed.