I don't mean in the scheduled way when the surface is worn out, its just lately whenever a traffic report mentions a fuel spillage, the road then has to be resurfaced.
I don't see the point of this, unless a fire has damaged the surface. Surely it would be cheaper to hose off the fuel and then cover the area with cement dust or sand, like they do in motor racing.
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The fuel soaks in, can't be washed off and then weakens the structure. A colleague of mine had the need to jettison 2 x 100 gallon tanks of avtur, during a take-off emergency, onto a tarmac/asphalt runway. 1500 ft of it had to be resurfaced before it could be used again
Last edited by: Meldrew on Tue 1 Nov 11 at 15:36
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The fuel is a solvent, it dissolves the bitumen in the tarmac thus turning it into loose chippings.
Edit - spotted that this is a duplicate of another thread ....
Last edited by: idle_chatterer on Tue 1 Nov 11 at 15:55
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Why aren't all roads surfaced in concrete?
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Because of the intolerable noise that comes with those awful concrete roads?
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>> Because of the intolerable noise that comes with those awful concrete roads?
+1. Try the A486(?) from Chester to Chirk and note the sudden silence after it crosses the Welsh border.
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>> Try the A486(?) from Chester to Chirk and note the sudden silence after it crosses the Welsh border.
A few years ago the A34 between the Peartree interchange north of Oxford and Wendlebury was resurfaced because of complaints about the noise of traffic rumbling along the concrete.
tinyurl.com/6znqd54 - Oxford Mail.
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>> A few years ago the A34 between the Peartree interchange north of Oxford and Wendlebury
>> was resurfaced because of complaints about the noise of traffic rumbling along the concrete.
There were (are?) signs along the A50 in Derbyshire as part of a campaign to rebuild with asphalt to reduce the tyre roar.
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Tyres are required to be 'low noise' (read the side-wall of any new one).
Perhaps road surfaces are also?
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Concrete is cheaper, lasts for ever (almost) and doesn't need resurfacing after a diesel spillage.
Ok, so it might be a tiny bit noisier.
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Make self-sealing fuel tanks mandatory.
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>> Concrete is cheaper, lasts for ever (almost)
Far from it. It wears quite badly, and even ripples. There are sections of concrete quite badly rippled into waves caused by lorry brakes. Plus it laid in sections and the sections move around.
Pig to fix too.
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What can be cheaper than spraying Tar and then dumping tons of Granite chips on it, like they do around here?
I used to reckon I lost 20000 miles off my tyre life due to these Granite chips cutting them to shreds!
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We all trust Wikipedia - don't we? This what they say on the subject of the durability of concrete compared with asphalt.
"One advantage of cement concrete roadways is that they are typically stronger and more durable than asphalt roadways. They also can easily be grooved to provide a durable skid-resistant surface".
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Of course its more durable than tarmac, but not as durable as you think, few people realise it can migrate in braking areas, and cant be fixed once it has.
Sure you have found that on the sections of crete we have, specially M20
It usually ends up with tarmac over it.
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 2 Nov 11 at 17:41
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>>They also can easily be grooved to provide a durable skid-resistant surface"<<
Ay-dear, Theres always the fact that disproves the rule! = we once Concreted the Farmyard, put in nice deep grooves for grip - great!
Come Winter, water filled the grooves, froze, and niether Man,Cow or milk-tanker could venture on to it!
Had to employ a firm to Scarify them off - cost thousands!
Last edited by: devonite on Wed 2 Nov 11 at 17:43
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Why are roads resurfaced? - Meldrew
