Chipping the council for mess left after resealing
ABOUT eight weeks ago, Fulton Hogan contractors came to reseal Oxford St on the west side of King Edward St.
They banged down a couple of bulges and put a bit of filler in a few places where the road had sunk, then a sealer was put on the surface and a ton of gravel chips were spread and rolled over the top. The next day, the road was swept with the the big road sweeper. Nothing else has been done since.
Now we have stone chips all over the footpath, the gutter and down the drains. As a result, chips are also up all the driveways, and driving on the road is like being on a rollercoaster.
In the school holidays, our grandchildren could not, and still can’t, use their scooters. Our 5yearold grandson slipped on the chips, fell forward and grazed the underside of his wrist.
There are a lot of elderly people in South Dunedin and a lot of roads in this same condition.
So is this the type of work we pay rates for, and is it also a sign of the future?
Is the work done by contractors in Dunedin ever inspected by someone in the council or contractors’ management, or is it just like about six years ago when we got flooded out and it was all ‘‘pass the buck’’?
Malcolm Hammond South Dunedin
[Dunedin City Council transport group manager Jeanine Benson replies:
‘‘We’re sorry to hear Mr Hammond has concerns about the Oxford St resurfacing work. Our contractors carried out the usual preseal repairs before the road was resealed on March 15 and 16. As is usual practice, the contractors used a filter to protect mud tanks from filling up with loose chips.
‘‘After the resurfacing, the road and footpaths were swept on March 19. Typically, there are loose chips for a few weeks after resealing as the new surface settles and this is monitored.
‘‘The footpaths on Oxford St do need further sweeping and this will happen this week. DCC staff have visited the street and are satisfied the work has been carried out appropriately. The site will be inspected by both DCC and contractor staff before final signoff.’’]