Road melts on the UK’s hottest day
Holes appeared on a main road which melted in the heat. Roads bosses are investigating why the new microasphalt surface in Harrietsham failed on the hottest UK day on record last Thursday.
Witnesses reported seeing the damage on the A20 Ashford Road which was resurfaced in May 2019.
Kent County Council (KCC) recently carried out a project to improve the road through the village.
A new 30mph speed limit was introduced and a pedestrian crossing was installed. A spokesperson from Kent County Council said the incident was rare.
Work to repair the A20 started on Tuesday and is due to be completed today (Thursday).
The same type of microasphalt surface works were postponed in another part of Kent that day. Scorching temperatures meant the roadworks on Maidstone Road, Paddock Wood had to be abandoned.
The council said the plans were cancelled as a result of the hot conditions and to continue would have delayed the project’s productivity as it would take longer to set.
The work at Paddock Wood will be rearranged for a later date. KCC said it has carried out hundreds of resurfacing schemes using the material over many years and will not be reviewing its future use.
It added that microasphalt is quick to apply and a cost-effective way of prolonging the life expectancy of roads before major repair works are required and says it the ideal solution for treating roads and reducing potholes.
It has a low carbon footprint and costs £8 per square metre. This is around a third of the price of replacing an existing road surface.