Warmer temperatures and longer days mark the start of the road resealing season in Hamilton.

Residents will notice more roadworks across the city as Hamilton City Council resurfaces 28km of roads and rebuilds six roads over the coming months.

The construction season typically runs from October through to March and is timed to take advantage of daylight saving and the warmer weather. Wet weather can sometimes cause work delays.

Gordon Naidoo, Council’s City Transportation Unit Director, said the resealing programme is vital to keeping our roads safe for everyone – plus it makes financial sense.

“Resealing is typically needed when a road surface starts to lose its waterproofing and grip qualities.

“Surface grip is important for safety and helps vehicles keep their traction. Resealing is also the cheapest maintenance option in the prevention of potholes and failure to layers below the seal. If you see us on your street, it means we’ve noted issues that need to be fixed even if it doesn’t seem obvious,” Naidoo said.

Road repairs and maintenance are carried out by Connect Hamilton, a partnership between Council and Downer NZ. The construction season programme is budgeted to cost about $15 million, with 51% funded by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.

Hamilton has about 630km of road within its city boundary.

“Council continues to work to reduce deaths and serious crashes on our roads and resealing is a crucial part of keeping roads safe,” Naidoo said.

“In addition to resealing, we’re also rebuilding a small number of roads. Every year we review our road network to see how each road is performing and what type of repair it has had. With regular maintenance and resealing, a road structure can last 25 years but eventually the time comes when we need to completely rebuild it.”

Council will inform residents and businesses of any roadworks on their street ahead of work starting.

Visit hamilton.govt.nz/roadworks to learn more about Council’s road maintenance work.

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