Footage shows a tar seal sticky from the heat being ripped from road as a truck rolls through. Video / Laura Ward
A Taranaki woman has described watching State Highway 3’s tarseal bleed and peel away as vehicles drove over it, just days after motorists demanded compensation for a similar issue on an Auckland road.
Motorist Laura Ward said she was travelling home from New Plymouth when she saw the road sticking to the tyre of a truck in front of her “about three or four times” over about a kilometre near Tariki, Taranaki.
Ward said the stretch of SH3 between Inglewood and Midhurst had been plagued by issues in the past.
It comes after traffic was brought to a crawl north of Auckland at Dome Hill as wet and sticky tarseal clung to tyres on State Highway 1 on Sunday, raising the ire of Waka Kotahi NZTA and an apology from roading contractor Fulton Hogan.
Motorists heading south into Auckland on SH1 near Dome Valley ran into a badly sealed section of road. Photo / Supplied
Ward claimed any repairs on SH3 “barely last a couple of weeks”.
“It’s been resealed about three times in the past six months,” she said. ”I’ve never seen something like it before, the tar was just sticking to the tyres and I was a bit worried I’d have to take my car through a car wash. My tyres picked up a fair amount of tar.”
She said the weather had been “quite warm” but hadn’t noticed any problems with the road when she travelled south along the road yesterday.
Waka Kotahi NZTA said on Facebook emergency resealing was underway today with congestion expected.
Some people expressed their anger in the comments, noting the road had been repaired many times:
“What’s your excuse for this absolute s**tshow?” one said.
Motorists heading south into Auckland on SH1 near Dome Valley ran into a badly sealed section of road. Photo / Supplied
At least 58 people have contacted Fulton Hogan for compensation after the chipseal at Dome Valley caused damage to their vehicles. A company spokesperson said night closures were scheduled for maintenance on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Yesterday, a motorist travelling to Whāngarei from Auckland said the tarseal remained wet and people were forced to drive at a reduced speed.
“Everyone was going so slow, about 10km/h. You could just feel how wet the tar seal was. You could hear the stones getting stuck to the tyres coming under the cars. It is quite a long stretch.”
Wet tar and stones stick to car tyres as motorists travel north of Auckland on State Highway 1. Photo / NZME
Yesterday, Fulton Hogan said it was completing an asphalt overlay over a portion of the chip-sealed section of the road. The overlay should be completed by December 15, it said.
“Asphalt is a more robust and resilient surface for high-volume highways. Chipseal is very sensitive to weather impacts and traffic within the first week of application, which has significantly contributed to the situation over the weekend.
“Asphalt is far less susceptible to weather conditions after being laid,” Fulton Hogan said in a statement.
New Zealand Automobile Association’s motoring services adviser Allister Wade urged motorists to get their vehicles checked to keep the costs of repairs to a minimum.
