Sealing Of All Roads Advocated

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30154, 11 June 1963, Page 14

Sealing Of All Roads Advocated

(New Zealand Press Association)

ROTORUA, June 10.

The belief that sealing should only be applied to a pavement designed to carry the heaviest traffic, should be closely examined, said the engineer for the Matamata County Council, Mr G. W Ensor, : n Rotorua today Mr Ensor presented a paper to the annual conference of the New Zealand Institute of County Engineers. “In my opinion the seal coat is just as important and valuable on the more lightlyconstructed road, designed to carry lower volumes of traffic and protected, if necessary by judicious road classification.

“Many millions of pounds have been spent in the construction and metalling of New Zealand’s rural roads and yet in the main we are content to allow this valuable asset to be worn, blown, or washed away by the action of Jraffic or the elements. “Tests carried out some time ago showed the loss of metal in this way on lightlytrafficked rural roads varied between one and three cubic yards per chain per year, and its value at an average of £ 1 per cubic yard equalled the cost of a bitumen seal coat every six to eight years. “All engineers experience the periodic heavy deluge of rain which, as so often happens. occurs after a dry spell and sends the loose metal off the roads and down the watercourses

“Estimate this loss at cubic yards per chain and the loss over 199 miles 's 10,000

cubic yards, or possibly £ 10,000. “On the sealed road there is no loss of ,-ietal and the travelling surface is as good aftjr the deluge as before The saving in cost to the roaduser of the sealed road is unquestioned and. has been estimated by operators to be as high as 40 per cent, on run ning costs.

“Another factor seldom considered is the' effect of dust carried from the loose road surface on to pasture lands.

“On such roads carrying any reasonable volume - of traffic pastures can be affected for as much as five chains on either side of the road for a substantia] portior of the year so that one acre of pasture land is reduced in value .or every chain of road." Mr Ensor said.