Residents threaten blockade over road sealing

Residents of Rotorua's Caulfield Place and Edward Payton Grove are unhappy their streets have been earmarked for resealing, saying it's unnecessary and a waste of council money.

One Caulfield Pl resident told the Rotorua Daily Post some people were planning to park their cars across the road to prevent workers from starting work.

But both of the streets are due for resealing and will get worse, according to Rotorua District Council works manager Peter Dine.

Residents say they do not want the smooth and flat surface of their roads, known as hot mix or asphaltic concrete, replaced by chip seal.

One Edward Payton Gr resident has put up a sign asking the council and its contractors not to bother with the reseal.

"Please don't seal our road. There is nothing wrong with it. I have lived here since it was brand new and it hasn't deteriorated in any way. Spend our rates on a road that actually needs it," the sign read.

In a recent letter to the editor, Caulfield Pl resident Doug Hogg said to the layman the road was in "prime condition and I for one can see absolutely no reason why this road should require resealing.

"Let alone the fact that hot mix is to be replaced with the usual substandard chip.

"It would seem that this is another example of the end of year money waste," Mr Hogg said.

Another Caulfield Pl resident, who did not want to be named, said when she received a letter telling her of the resealing she was horrified.

"The road has perfectly good seal. Residents have had no consultation or discussion with council or the contractors."

She said chip seal increased the risk of children being injured if they fell off bikes or scooters. "We've been railroaded," she said. "We've had no dialogue with the council and we're perfectly happy with the existing seal."

Mr Dine said resealing Caulfield Pl would cost $5823, but to reseal it with hot mix would cost almost $34,000.

"The current road seal has reached the end of its useful life and is starting to deteriorate."

He said if not resealed it would crack, water would get into it and the structure would deteriorate.

Mr Dine said residents were sent letters advising them when their roads would be resealed but recent bad weather had postponed the work.

He said the original hot mix road surface was laid by the private developer of Caulfield Pl to attract buyers.

Mr Dine said the council had calculated it would cost an additional $2 million per year to hot mix the urban area. "The council's view is that would be unacceptable and unnecessary."