Greater Geelong council employees have been hard at work recently to upgrade roads across Portarlington to reduce dust, potholes and corrugation.
The works included replacing the existing gravel, upgrading the drainage, and reshaping the road along nine streets in Portarlington.
The council used a new gravel blend with clay to significantly reduce the amount of dust created by traffic and reduce the risk of potholes and corrugation.
A council spokesperson said recent rain events have caused the new material to become “tacky”, as the material dries and sets shortly after rain stops.
“The effects that you experienced following the rain event over the Easter weekend is an extreme example of this condition,” the spokesperson said.
“We understand that this has impacted your access and we apologise for this.
“The road surface on the lower section of Willis Street was particularly impacted, so we have restricted through traffic while it stabilises.
Other planned works include:
* installing signs across the roads impacted to ensure drivers are aware of the current surface conditions;
* undertaking maintenance on Willis St (between Harding St and Brown St) to address shoulder rutting;
* installing additional guideposts to improve delineation of edges/ corners etc in the next two weeks;
* applying additional rock beaching in drains to stabilise the shoulders as required; and
* proactively monitoring the road condition during the winter months on a fortnightly basis.
Road users are encouraged to take care and drive to the conditions during periods of wet weather.
Greater Geelong council has collaborated with the Australian Road Research Board and neighbouring councils in selecting the new gravel mix.
