We resurface and rebuild local roads across Wollongong to keep them in good condition and extend their life.
We have two main types of road resurfacing which are explained below.
Spray Sealing
Spray sealing is when we spray a bitumen coating on top of a road, then spread loose stones over it. The stones are then rolled into the surface.
Two days after a spray seal, we sweep away loose rocks. We come back for a second sweep two weeks later.
We know it can be messy, and the loose rocks can be annoying for a little while, but spray sealing has several benefits:
- It can be done quickly - often in less than a day
- It's cost effective
- It waterproofs and protects the road surface, extending its life by up to 10 years.
Road Reconstruction
When a road is in very bad condition, we may need to rebuild (or reconstruct) it.
Roads have several layers, and reconstruction can include just the top layer/s or the whole road, including the road base.
For road reconstructions, we often use a method that recycles the current road pavement, saving materials and money but still producing a high quality surface. Using this methods lets us resurface more roads every year.
What to expect when your road is reconstructed
Below is a guide to what you can typically expect when your road gets reconstructed. The process may take longer if we're also replacing the road base, or if we get bad weather in the middle of a job.
A few months before work kicks off, you might see our engineers doing some tests or other preparation work like repairing kerbs.
A few days before work starts you should also get a notice in your letterbox to tell you what dates we expect work to happen, and any other important details you need to know.
The first stage of works is stabilising. There'll be large equipment on your street, and traffic controls in place.
The street will most likely be closed to anyone who is not a resident, and there will be no on-street parking. You can usually access to your house by car, but there can be short delays.
The road surface will be turned over by machinery, and a white powder made up of lime and cement will be added to bind everything together. The road surface will be compacted by rollers, watered, and trimmed by a grader.
After stabilisation, the road will be left without a seal and watered continually to set the new surface. Soft spots and cracks can often appear. These will be fixed before the road is sealed.
Parking and driving on the street at a reduced speed are usually allowed at this stage.
A temporary spray seal of bitumen and stone chip will be put on top of the road surface. We know this is not popular with most people, but it provides waterproofing and protects the road while the binder hardens.
Driving on this surface helps to settle loose stones, but it's best to slow down on recently spray-sealed roads.
The spray seal will be left for about 3 months while the road settles before it gets its final surface. There's no way to speed up this process.
About three months after the spray seal, we'll come back and check that the surface is ok, then cover it with smooth asphalt. The road works are then finished.
The smooth asphalt surface is expected to last for 10-15 years.
Questions about road works
If you have any questions about road works, please get in touch with either:
- The contractor doing the work. Their details will be on the letter dropped in your mailbox shortly before work starts; or
- Our Customer Service Team. You can email or call us on (02) 4227 7111.
When is my street due for resurfacing?
We have a plan for resurfacing roads that looks a few years ahead at a time. You can check if your street is on the list by looking at our Future Works and Projects page. This program is a guide only, and sometimes we need to rearrange the schedule due to things like unplanned road works or bad weather interrupting our schedule.
You'll get a notice in your letterbox shortly before works start on your street.
You can also find work that's underway or about to happen on our Current Works and Projects page.