Before I get on with it, this isn't a moan at construction workers/engineers, more at the investment and planning/managment that the goverment doesn't do.

 

Why does it take so long to do the simplest of things, like resurfacing a road? Yes, I know it's costly and it's not as easy as 'all that'. But why when I go overseas, do other countries seem to be able to get it done in a really short space of time?

 

Before I went on holiday, which was 3 weeks ago, the main road from Portishead to Clevedon road was shut for resurfacing, it's still closed now, not just that, but the authorities decided that it would also be a really good idea to resurface part of the M5 heading over the Avonmouth flyover. So ALL the traffic in Portishead now takes over an hour to get to the motorway in the mornings (3 long mile!). That's not the real issue, but for the same period of time, workers have been on the flyover for 3 weeks, going onto four. What have they done so far, they've removed about 1/4 of the surface in prep for new tarmac. 3 weeks it's taken to do that! All the while, traffic queues for about 5 miles in either direction while the lane restrictions are in place.

 

About 2 years ago, they decided to widen part of that motorway too, it's made things worse as it's created a bottleneck, but even that took nearly a year to do! A year!!!????

 

Why can France have almost no roadworks, no road closures and build the Millau Viaduct in 4 years, the biggest bridge in France and the tallest in the world and it takes the UK road construction industry to add a mile of additional lane to the M5 nearly a year!? When I was in SoCal a few weeks ago, they resurfaced a dual carriageway stretching about 2 miles close to my mate's house, it took them 3 days!!!!! If that was in the UK, it would have been closed for about a month!

 

/rant

Edited September 13, 200817 yr by FunkySi

Because they are lazy B4stards!!!! When i go down the m5 i have to wait in that traffic, it really p1sses me off :mad:

really pathetic..

 

They chucked up a sign outside our house advising of roadworks that would take 6 weeks (during school holidays)

 

The first 2 days they dug it all up... then nothing for weeks and weeks... then all of a sudden withi 2 days it was all done.

 

they are capable of doing it within a couple of days, but I reckon its just too many tea breaks!!

really pathetic..

 

They chucked up a sign outside our house advising of roadworks that would take 6 weeks (during school holidays)

 

The first 2 days they dug it all up... then nothing for weeks and weeks... then all of a sudden withi 2 days it was all done.

 

they are capable of doing it within a couple of days, but I reckon its just too many tea breaks!!

 

probally get paid for the time they spend on it rather than a set payment for the job

Its the exact same all over the country. thats why we dont have a motor industry anymore.

oh dear spamhammer :D

I have to say I agree with Si, when I drove to Le Mans it was as near as damnit 250miles to dover, 250 miles to Le Mans, different route back to Dover 250 miles and 250 miles back home.

 

So 500++ miles on French roads and I didn't see a cone once!

 

 

Makes my blood boil when they dig a road up here and leave it for ages OR they have 2 men on a 5 mile stretch doing jack all.

To cause as much hassle and congestion as possible so that everyone notices and thinks they are spending your money on road repairs basically.

Remember how long the Avonmouth bridge roadworks went on for - about 10 years? Then they just threw the top surface down with shovels! I'm sure that thing will collapse one day, all those trucks bouncing up and down on that horrendous surface must be some weight and stress.

 

Have you noticed all the extra paint on the roads these days too. Most round abouts in Weston now have silly solid white lines and chevrons coming off the centre circle like tentacles, covering half the tarmac and pushing all the traffic into the outside - that's a lot of road space that's no longer available to use - causing more congestion, the primary goal of the powers that be! I nearly hit a copper the other day, who decided to pull someone and had stopped him for a chat on the chevrons, like the paint made it safe to park on the blind inside bend of a round about.

we got CORMAC down here!

 

Cant Organize Road Maintanance Around Cornwall :tongue:

 

dan.:rofl:

did top gear not do a report on this a while back and it was the road surface that took so long to get as the manufactures could only supply so much at a time

when the last big earthquake on america happened and it demolished that big motorway intersection didnt they rebuild the whole area in a few days??