Pothole patches double in Mid Canterbury

Almost as many potholes were filled in 2022 as in the previous three years in the Ashburton District.

The Ashburton District Council filled 12,074 potholes in 2022, twice as many as the 5917 in 2021, and only just under the combined 13,775 from 2019 to 2021.

Council infrastructure and open spaces group manager, Neil McCann, said the higher figure reflected a significant increase in potholes following the significant rainfall and flooding in May and June 2021.

The high number of pothole fixes should serve as reassurance to the community that the council is actively tackling the problem – the district’s biggest problem according to the annual resident survey results.

“Council put all the extra money in to do exactly that and hopefully people can see the results.”

The colder and wetter months, typically June to August, usually have the highest spikes in pothole counts as the weather conditions are not favourable for permanent pothole repairs, McCann said.

That was highlighted following the one-in-200-year rain event that ravaged the district road network.

The number of pothole repairs jumped from 3,985 in 2020 to 5,917 in 2021 and then doubled in 2020.

There was likely some variance in the way the pothole fixes were recorded with a change of contractor, McCann said, with Fulton Hogan replaced in 2020 by HEB Construction, who was awarded the council’s $30m five-year road maintenance and operations contract.

The temporary pothole repairs, holding patches until a major crew can come and fix them, cost around $125,000 a year, he said.

“This is part of the $1.65 million for sealed road repairs, including more permanent repairs such as dig-outs and cement stabilisations.”

The council only pays for the temporary pothole repair in the first instance and any repeat temporary fix is at the contractor’s cost.

In the current financial year there is also $2.7m for resealing to prevent potholes from occurring, with 58 percent ($1,566,000) completed by mid-December.

Then there is the $3.75m for complete road reconstruction, which McCann said includes the extra $1.7m the council put in to address the roading issues, with 51 percent ($1,900,000) completed by mid-December.

The contractors are busy working on the summer reseal and reconstruction programme which will be completed by March, he said.

The Ashburton District has the fifth largest roading network in the country with 2,619 km of roads, made up of 1,518 km of sealed and 1,102 km of unsealed road, as well as 185 bridges and 254 km of footpaths.

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