After around 30 flat tyres which were speared by stones, James Road is finally on the Naracoorte Lucindale Council’s list of things to do.
Almost 13 kms long, 400 metres of James Road was resheeted around three years ago with material including the overburden of a porphyry mine in the Kingston District Council area.
“Porphyry is a ridiculously hard black stone and a company was basically looking to reopen the mine for roadworks,” Mayor Patrick Ross said.
“When it is mined and crushed it actually has all sharp edges. It is sharp like knives and arrowheads – that sort of sharp.
“The (Naracoorte Lucindale Council) were getting the overburden of limestone and clay.
“So, they were able to do way more (resheeting) of James Road than they anticipated, purely because of the cost of this (cheaper) overburden.
“Unfortunately, at some point during the crushing, some of this black porphyry was mixed in with the overburden.”
This was identified by the crushing contractor and corrected.
Each of the arrowhead like rocks were the size of two golf balls.
Not long after the road was resheeted, users started getting flat tyres and the issue became common knowledge.
According to the council’s administration, approximately three years after a section was resheeted, the council received a complaint that a road user had a flat tyre due to the road surface.
Along with the time taken to constantly be changing flat tyres, road users were also faced with the cost of tyres which could not be repaired.
“When the council became aware of it, they sent out a vibrating roller and ran over it,” Mr Ross said.
“But what that did was break off very sharp edges and leave spike-like points that were sticking out of the road.”
Road users, including Mr Ross, continued to get more flat tyres, with many stabbed right through by the hard sharp rocks.
Material was laid over the top. But by the start of this year, the gravel had worn and washed away, once again exposing the sharp pointy rocks on the road surface,
Mr Ross took a tyre speared by one of the sharp stones to the council for a show and tell after a briefing session regarding council assets on January 31.
“(Director infrastructure) Daniel Willsmore wasn’t aware of it, so that is why I took in the tyre,” Mr Ross said.
At the time Mr Ross said he was hoping that piece of road could be rehabilitated prior to winter.
The council administration claims its “records show only one compliant has been received about this section of road in February 2023”.
Following council’s April 26 meeting at Lucindale, Mr Ross said he was pleased there was going to be a reshaping of James Road in the next financial year.
“So, there will be some resolution about the unbelievable number of flat tyres on James Road that were caused by the mixing of sharp (rocks) from a quarry further along James Road where they are mining porphyry,” Mr Ross said.
Council’s administration said some rehabilitation works have been programmed for 23/24.
According to the council’s draft budget, James Road will be resheeted from the 4.9km mark to the 7.6km point at a cost of $199,800.
Other resheets include the Old Robe Road from Woodend to 3kms north 240,000; Gum Avenue from Lovers Lane to 620m south, $66,000; Biggins Road from the railway line to 1.5km north, $111,000; Laurie Park Road from the Wimmera Highway to 2km south, $160,000; East Settlement Road from North Settlement Road to Diagonal Road – $192,400; West Avenue Extension from Vanstone’s Road to 2.1km south $168,000; Johnson Road from 425/bitumen to 3km west $222,000; and Concrete Bridge Road from Struan Joana Road to 2.5km south.
This article appeared in the Naracoorte Community News.
