Enough gravel to fill seven Olympic-sized swimming pools has been applied to the district’s unsealed roads in the past five weeks as Council’s winter maintenance programme gets into gear.

Group Manager of Infrastructure and Open Spaces Neil McCann said Council aims to spread approximately 48,000 cubic metres of gravel each winter.

“Since the start of July our contractors have applied nearly 17,500 cubic metres, which is 36 per cent of the annual total. That’s split fairly evenly between renewing the basecourse on some roads and spreading and rolling a thin layer on others.”

Parts of Fechneys Road, Siberia Road, Denshires Road North and Winters Road have had the basecourse renewed, with up to 80mm of new gravel laid over the existing layer.

Mr McCann said the roading crews had also spent six days in the high country tidying up sections of Hakatere Potts Road and Hakatere Heron Road.

“These roads are well used by locals and tourists heading into the Hakatere Conservation Area, and some early winter rains had taken their toll on the surface with a few potholes. The crews were working in some minus seven degree mornings to get the road re-instated and safe again.”

Council maintains one of the five largest roading networks in the country, with 1515km of sealed roads and 1102km unsealed roads. Urban roads account for 225km, reflecting Ashburton’s core rural outlook.

Funds to maintain and improve the roading network come from local rates and the National Land Transport Fund administered by NZ Transport Agency.

Below: Hakatere Potts Road, before and after the gravel treatment.