Questions about SH29A’s new chip seal

Steve Ututaonga looking at a cracked windscreen from the new chip seal.

Diamond Head residents are preparing to join forces to complain about the noisy new chip seal on SH29A. Diamond Head is a cul de sac on the spur between Poike and Welcome Bay overlooking the highway.

Since the new chip seal was laid last week road noise has grown to alarming levels.

'It's like visiting an airport,” says Resident Steve Ututaonga. 'And when you hear a B Train roaring through, it's like a jet passing over your house.”

One of his neighbours has double glazing and didn't used to hear any traffic – but he can now.

'I went to council to see if they would monitor the noise levels,” says Steve. 'There must be a standard noise level around traffic noise.”

But it's not just the traffic noise. The headlight lens on his car and the windscreen on his wife's car have both been hit by flying stones not swept up when the sealing was completed.

The guide lines sheet he was given shows that high traffic volume roads like the section of state highway that carries more than 10,000 vehicles a day is supposed to be asphalt sealed, with chip seal being used on lower traffic roads in the city.

Steve took his questions to NZTA, but was turned away, and told to speak to the contractors, Westlink.

NZTA Bay of Plenty Transport System Manager, Rob Campbell says the sealing isn't completed. The road has an inconsistent surface so a two coat chip treatment was used.

'To complete the job we will return to treat the surface with a light application of bitumen and small chip to stabilise the surface,” says Rob. 'We are treating this work as a priority and it will be completed as soon as possible.”

'As we know how frustrating it can be when windscreens are damaged, we focus on minimising the risk of loose chips. We use a number of different techniques to help prevent damage. This ranges from using single coat seals to sweeping loose chips after sealing.

'During sealing operations we also put in place temporary lower speed limits, while the chips roll and lock in. The lower speed limit reduces the chance of chips being flicked up by passing vehicles. 'This requires drivers to play their part as well by adhering to the temporary speed limit and reducing the risk of windscreen damage to theirs and others' vehicles.

'We'd like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience this restricted speed may cause, we are treating the repair work as a priority.”

He say best practice was followed and the road was re-opened for use with a restricted speed limit, after 24 hours. The road was then swept, road marked and the speed restriction removed.

'The site was swept again on Monday night,”” says Rob. 'After the cold snap earlier this week speed restrictions were also put back in place to stop any loose chip flicking up and causing damage. This speed restriction will reduce the amount of noise heard by residents.”

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8 comments

comedy

Posted on 14-04-2018 10:17 | By shapes

Always good for a laugh. Done an average job and save a buck wherever possible seems to be the story when taxpayers are forking out for stuff. This wouldn't be acceptable in the private sector and NZTA should not be palming off questions put to them! They should be investigating and making sure OUR money is getting spent in a way which the best results are achieved not this passing the blame and making excuses. So this couldn't be done properly because of varying road conditions? or couldn't be bothered so we will use chip and just let it fall to bits so we get paid to fix again and again?


Stuff Up

Posted on 14-04-2018 10:45 | By Hopeful

NZTA , BOP transport system manager Mr Campbell & the contractor Westlink have managed to stuff up some major Tauranga arterial roads, with obviously 2nd rate asphalt. To blame mechanical failures is really just a cop out from local govt services and a contract company- whose business & machinery is asphalt laying. As for needing to wait & patience for warmer weather- well that mr Campbell is called scheduling and summertime.


Embarrassing

Posted on 14-04-2018 11:09 | By 82m

My windscreen has also been cracked, but on the piece between Maungatapu and baypark. The company who did these "repairs" should be embarrassed it didn't even last a week! And its not the first time either.. no wonder there's no money for new roads is we have to do every job twice or thrice even??


here we go again

Posted on 14-04-2018 11:47 | By old trucker

Of cause you will get turned away from NZTA, they do not care, and like a certain person in TCC does not like GRIZZLERS and he put that down in this paper, they DO NOT like being told of a PROBLEM because they dont like it as it makes them look bad, like the hill at Brookfield,for crying out loud it had to be reported to TCC because they did not know, it appears that a lot of road marking is done at night so you wont see it,and cover yellow lines as well,also that SILLY little exit in Brown st,must have cost MEGA for that, there was nothing wrong with going straight out,anyway Sunlive my 3 pennies worth today for what its worth, Thankyou for being No1 for News,10-4 out. phew.


My oppotunity

Posted on 14-04-2018 11:52 | By astex

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the driver of the white van that passed me at speed on the resealed road, throwing up a shower of stones that caused 2 chips in my windscreen. I hope you got where you were going in time.


Really?

Posted on 14-04-2018 12:15 | By tish

As we know how frustrating it can be when windscreens are damaged, we focus on minimising the risk of loose chips. " Frustrating? What about really expensive replacing windscreens and lenses unnecessarily destroyed? Not everyone has a glass replacement policy and excesses are huge for fixing things that shouldn't have been broken but for poor planning and administration by people who should know better. Their number of "different techniques to help prevent damage" didn't work, did it? Whoever allowed it all to happen (and there have been a few damaged vehicles in the media so far) should be picking up the bill, be it NZTA or the contractors. It's called consequence.


Do it right

Posted on 14-04-2018 12:19 | By Taffy

Do it right first time instead of some cheap skate version.I have driven down this section of road since this resealing.It is terrible road noise in the car so loud,and as for speed restrictions totally ignored,I had B-Train following me and if he was any closer would have been attached.


Embarrassing

Posted on 14-04-2018 12:35 | By 82m

My windscreen has also been cracked, but on the piece between Maungatapu and baypark. The company who did these "repairs" should be embarrassed it didn't even last a week! And its not the first time either.. no wonder there's no money for new roads is we have to do every job twice or thrice even??


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