That sticky feeling in Wairarapa

Hot weather has turned several Wairarapa roads into a black, sticky mess. Truckloads of fine chip and crusher dust have been spread over sections of several roads to contain melting tar, which was spraying up on cars and cyclists.

Masterton recorded a high of 29 degrees Celsius yesterday, according to MetService.

In Wairarapa’s largest town, there were nine streets affected by bitumen bleeding which required new chip.

Masterton District Council spokesman Sam Rossiter-Stead said the first weeks of hot weather caused volatiles in the bitumen and entrapped water in the pavement to ‘‘cook out’’, livening up the bitumen.

Tyre action then brought the bitumen to the surface where it was tracked out and bleeding occurred, he added.