Inordinate amount of road resurfacing in Dublin lately

Slideshowbob

Not that I'm complaining but anyone else noticed this?

Also, it's not just a 30 or 40mm layer! They are scraping off up to 8 inches in places, removing the old materials, and then resurfacing!

I know we had some bad winters and roads are a mess but at the same time I thought the state was broke?!?

Could it be the case that councils / departments have to spend to ensure futures budgets??!!

Also it all looks like good work and keeps people employed but don't services like gas etc always come along soon after and dig up again anyway?!? ;-)

Idleater

Slideshowbob wrote: »

Could it be the case that councils / departments have to spend to ensure futures budgets??!!

That's what I reckon. Some nice new patches on some back roads, but others still in a state. The better question might be are the roads being fixed where he who complains loudest resides/travels?

listermint

Theyve put in a pedestrian crossing on the belgard road where there is another one 100 m up the road. Totally unecessary location but hey if it burns 50-100K who cares !!

markpb

I can't find it now but there was a notice on the DCC website a few weeks ago about the annual road surface improvement project. Apparently each year they take the busiest/worst roads in the city and resurface them over a six week period. That's what's going on right now.

Edit: found it

irishmotorist

I've noticed this myself and was only talking about it yesterday. I thought that the councils said that they specifically didn't have enough money for fixing roads. Maybe that was councils outside of Dublin though.

That said, it's amazing what a new surface feels like. It really feels like it puts more go in my legs and I can turn a higher gear. It really shows up how poor other sections of road are.

Ciaran500

markpb wrote: »

Dublin City Council are not the state. Only a fraction of their budget comes from the central government budget.

The council is also broke.

Beasty

I guess we're getting towards the end of the financial year

I also suspect that there's a bit more resource available to maintain the existing infrastructure now the country has cut back on new road building

It probably also makes sense economically - the current state of the roads must be doing a lot of damage to motor vehicles (and well as cyclists and their bikes;)) and there reaches a point where it's cheaper to the economy in the long term to effect the repairs than suffer the ongoing damage (they will have to be repaired at some stage anyway). It's also quite labour intensive, and hence supports employment

It's definitely an improvement on some of the work done earlier in the year, where another cold winter s likely to undo a lot of the dodgy repairs undertaken

My only gripe is they seem to replace the surface in some areas (where admitedly the road is in a poor state), but then can leave an adjacent piece of road that's actually in worse condition - there are some examples of this on my commute - hopefully ther rest will be done in the non too distant future

Ghost_of_ED209

Is it anything to do with Dublin hosting some Formula 1 event? Those cars need a seriously good surface to drive on..

http://www.ireland.com/news/dublin-to-host-to-formula-one-event/614889

Maybe they're getting a head start on it..

Slideshowbob

Ghost_of_ED209 wrote: »

Is it anything to do with Dublin hosting some Formula 1 event? Those cars need a seriously good surface to drive on..

http://www.ireland.com/news/dublin-to-host-to-formula-one-event/614889

Maybe they're getting a head start on it..

Don't think that's coming my way but they still resurfacing out here.

BTW will be interesting to see if work needed on the roads in question for that event, given Bavaria are sponsoring and it's only a demonstration event (NOT A RACE ), will the Corpo splurge on it?!?

monument

It's extra funding from the NTA.

They council can only spend the money on an approved list of roads.

The main stated aim was to improve public transport routes (but in most cases the whole carrageway is included) and some of the work is being done along side QBC upgrades.

A lot of the roads I know which are been done really needed it.

monument

Also -- there's a limited time frame where this work is done before the winter.

RobFowl

They've doe a lot of the back roads in NCD all right. It does seem a bit random though.

ROK ON

While the thread is about Dublin it raises points (budget stuffing) that are valid countrywide.

I have come across 2 completely unnecessary road surfacing projects recently.
(1) a few months back on holidays in Slea Head I went for a cycle around the peninsula. Road surface is lovely. The following day when driving the kids to the beach the council were resurfacing a stretch of road that was IMHO far fro
Deserving of resurfacing.
(2) one of my regular training spins takes me up Molls Gap and onto Sneem. The road surface is as good as it gets in Kerry. Last Wednesday I was cycling from Molls Gap to Sneem - a very large section of previously fine road was completely resurfaced.

I am not at all against resurfacing. But where I live there are some shocking road surfaces. So to be resurfacing fine road is a complete waste IMO.

tomasrojo

Emmet Road and the southern quays in Dublin have been resurfaced. They really needed it.

CramCycle

Several stretches of my commute (Sandyford --> UCD -->Town --> Tallaght --> back again) have been redone in the last fortnight and seemingly for no reason. They resurfaced at junctions which were in good condition but left the badly damaged stretches only 20 metres away alone, not impressed.

CramCycle

They were resurfacing the entire bus lane from Donnybrokk up to the junction at Nutley Lane last night. For anyone who cycles there, you should know this was in mint condition as far as Irish roads go, pity they couldn't have actually bothered resurfacing some of the roads joining onto it which are in woeful condition (Angelsea road etc.).

It's all a bit disgusting considering all their griping about saving money and they are throwing it away on pointless tat like this.

seamus

Wicklow co. council are at it as well. Mostly throwing gravel on the road really, but main roads like the N81 have been repaired, including Blessington main street, finally.

I'm very disappointed that Rathmines isn't on the list posted above though. Place is in a complete state. Rathmines and Rathgar roads are more urgently in need of repair than the Templogue Road. But then, there are a number of co. councillors living off the templeogue road. I doubt many of them live in Rathmines.

Yeah I noticed a chunk resurfaced on the North Quays near Butt Bridge. Also noticed a nice 'cycle lane is closed' sign before I got near it which is interesting as the road markings showing the on-road lane have just been laid over with new tarmac and then restarts maybe 100m east.

ITB

Rathmines and Rathgar roads are more urgently in need of repair

I'd second that. The Rathgar - Rathmines - Town route is a disgrace and as one of the most heavily used bicycle routes it is in need of urgent repair.

They're also undertaking fairly extensive road resurfacing on Cromwellsfort Road; from the Ashleaf to the Walkinstown Roundabout.

Don't know where they're getting the funding but I hope they're receiving some of it from private firms who rip up the roads when putting down services and then throw some tarmac over it.

Slideshowbob

I have an idea.

Any experts know if there is any free web based software that could allow contributors to map the recently resurfaced roads in the Dublin area, showing extent and approx date of work.

Would make interesting viewing.

Anyone here good with Google Fusion - would that do the trick?