14 July 2011

A drop in road crashes on the Wainuiomata Hill road has been linked to Hutt City Council work on installing a new safety surface and upgrading the road pavement.

Council Community and Infrastructure Chairman, Max Shierlaw, said since council began its targeted works programme, the number of crashes has dropped dramatically.

“Council is continuing to upgrade the pavements on the hill road and make it safer for motorists.

“We are targeting the worst crash spots and areas with lower skid resistance,” he said.

The most recent works on both sides of the hill have been aimed at pavement rehabilitation.

“Failed weak material underneath the pavement is being removed and replaced with deeper layers of asphalt. Cooler temperatures allow more rapid cooling of the asphalt.

“The asphalt cools off a lot quicker at this time of the year meaning traffic can be allowed on the road sooner.”

Cr Shierlaw said the council apologised for delays to traffic and had spoken to the contractor about ways to ensure any future delays are minimised.
“Motorists had been very patient and shown good will during the work periods and this has been appreciated by the contractors.”

The new surfacing work is being carried out by Transfield Services Ltd. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of July

ENDS

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