Western Bay of Plenty District Council says its busy 2026/2027 road resurfacing programme has begun.

“We’ll be resurfacing more than 30km of road with chipseal across the district between now and April 2027, as part of our commitment to delivering safe, reliable, fit-for-purpose local roads for our communities,” the council said in a statement.

“We will also be sealing some sections of road for the first time as part of our seal extension programme.”

Council’s team lead road maintenance Aidan Glynn said weather conditions were important, with spring and summer the best times of year for road resurfacing.

“We carefully plan our work to make the most of the warmer, drier weather and longer daylight hours, which helps the new seal bond to the existing road surface properly and gives it the best chance of lasting for many years,” Glynn said.

Best to balance

“During the peak summer months, we do our best to balance doing the work during school holiday periods, when the roads are quieter at peak times, whilst also doing what we can to minimise the impact for road users during the busy holiday period.”

Heavy vehicles and moisture are two major causes of road damage.

“Therefore, one of the most important things we can do is protect the surface of the road,” Glynn said.

He likened a road seal to paint on a house.

“Paint on a wooden house helps keep water out and protects what’s underneath. In this case, it’s the road underneath. Over time, the seal wears down and becomes less effective,” he said.

“The average life of a road surface is 10 to 12 years, depending on traffic volume, so we aim to resurface roads before the surface starts to deteriorate, which also helps prevent the need for major reconstruction.”

Seal extension programme

Council said it was responsible for 1077km of local roads, which included 150km that was unsealed.

“We’re currently working to seal McMeeking Rd in Te Puke leading to Te Matai Marae, and a 2km section of Work Rd in Aongatete.”

On top of providing a smoother road surface and reducing dust, sealing roads made them easier to maintain, and improved drainage so the road was more resilient to heavy rain, the council said.

Council’s director of transportation Calum McLean said it costs about $750,000 per kilometre to construct a seal extension on low-volume rural roads.

“We’d love to seal them all, however we must prioritise which unsealed roads we fund, and when. Each unsealed road is assessed on the volume of traffic using the road and the dust exposure to residents living on the road.”

Western Bay drivers are encouraged to take care when travelling through road works, with traffic management in place.

People can report concerns via the Antenno app, or email: [email protected]