Vehicles ‘drowning in tar’ after Australian heatwave melts road
A MELTING road caused a sticky situation in northern Australia, where dozens of vehicles were left “drowning in tar” yesterday.
The melting bitumen on a recently resurfaced road in Queensland’s far north damaged vehicles and resulted in the road being temporarily closed.
Tyres were left caked in the black, sticky substance after it lifted from the road during a spell of unseasonably hot weather in the region, with temperatures reaching up to 24.7C (76.4F) after a period of rain.
“The sun came out, and then all vehicles that entered this road became stuck in the melting bitumen as tar piled up around the tyres,” said Queensland resident Margaret Campbell. “They could not move.”
Photos shared online showed tyres covered in inches of gloopy bitumen on the road in Atherton Tablelands, 170 miles south of the city of Cairns.
The situation was labelled “ridiculous”, “unbelievable” and a “disaster” by locals. Resident Alison Harris called the melting road a “nightmare”, posting on a local Facebook group: “Cars are literally stuck and seized up.” The Department of Transport and Main Roads in Queensland said it would compensate motorists for damage to their vehicles.
“It’s a combination of factors,” Sandra Burke, the district director, told ABC Australia. “We have extreme weather conditions – unusually cold and wet weather combined with works at hand and the short impact of the hot weather yesterday caused the situation.”
The warm weather excuse was disputed by local residents. “Gravel began popping out of the bitumen over a week ago. Local businesses have replaced over 300 windscreens,” said Ms Campbell.
Shane Knuth, a Queensland MP, said the damage was “unacceptable”, adding: “It’s time for the state government to ensure road upgrade tenders are prioritised for locals who have an understanding of weather conditions.”