Paving begins west of Pynn’s Brook

Commuter

- August 29, 2012 at 15:00:57

Umm, that section of highway didnt need to be paved??? Lol who are you kidding? The ruts there were deep enough, a moose could hide in one. Its the TCH it needs to be kept in good shape. As for studded tires being the problem, I think they may contribute somewhat, but lets face it, there is definitely more than one contributing factor. Truck weight and high traffic included. Im glad it is being paved, the rain collecting in those ruts was an accident waiting to happen.

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Burn Reddy

- August 29, 2012 at 01:47:28

Studs ha ha, how bout Texas, Oaklahoma, London Ont, they dont use studs at all and the same problem exist. Guess what , 20 mm asphalt and limestone,( caco3), is the cause, try some silica sand as a aggrate, mix it with real asphalt from South America, and behold, problem solved, reject the french canadian asphalt, were the price for its cost is making the french man rich, and the rest of the country poor, oh, lets just say its the wire the tire manufactures use in the sidewalls of the tires, that my fly, how bout frictioin from the car exhaust hitting the roads may cause the problem too. Like the old saying goes, cheap is not always best, unless you buy toilet paper from Wallies World, get a grip and look at the real problem.

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  Mike

  - August 29, 2012 at 08:01:19

  Obviously the last commentor is out of touch with the asphalt industry and how it works. Your ideas are correct but will never occurr in the asphalt industry any where. It is a protected business and government and private industry will not change the way it operates. There are a few isolated areas in North America that have had occurences of tire rutting due to asphalt failure. Generally in areas that recieve excessive high temperatures and heavy truck traffic. Something that does not occurr here in Newfoundland. The rutting is occurring during the winter months when the asphalt is least unstable. It has been studied and proven here in Newfoundland by professional engineers and the studs are the prominent issue with so much severe rutting. Next time measure the tire ruts they are definitely not caused by truck traffic. if the asphalt itself was failing then you would see the failure first and foremost where the wheighted traffic passes. A better Asphalt mix will help but the products required for this are not readily available here on the island and are controlled by the companies that supply the asphalt on the mainland. Cost is a factor in all of this. Normal apshalt highway roads have a lifespan of 7 years. test have be done to use concrete as an alternative which has a life span of 25 years. Something you see in the southern states. 20 mm of asphalt in an HL3 mix is a patch, 50mm is the minimum standard for a driveway! HL3 is not a highway mix.

Jack

- August 28, 2012 at 12:03:18

The TCH along the Humber Valley region didn't need to be repaved as the roads are good enough. If there's an area that needs to be repaved, its the Trans Labrador Highway (TLH) between the Quebec Border and Pinware as this road is full of ruts and patches. In fact, I traveled to Labrador two weeks ago as part of my vacation, and I was appalled at the poor condition of an important corridor, especially between L'Anse Aux Clair and Pinware. Cross the border into Quebec's Lower North Shore, and while Quebec Highway 138 from Blanc Sablon to Vieux Fort are not perfect, they are far better than the TLH. With the Quebec Government about to expand Highway 138 from Natashquan and Kegaska to Blanc Sablon or Vieux Fort as part of Plan Nord, which will benefit both Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador if done right, perhaps now is the time for the Newfoundland and Labrador Government to start paving the TLH from L'Anse Aux Clair to Happy Valley-Goose Bay in order to stay competitive with Quebec's Plan Nord.

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Joshau Clark

- August 28, 2012 at 09:27:57

Dear Readers. Paving again, I wonder how long it’s going to go on before they get it right, this section of road has been repaved, repaved, repaved over and over. Let’s start from the beginning, what’s really over weight here , the truck traffic, the pockets of the previous politicians that sold the railroad off to the crooks in Ottawa, so they can get their pockets lined, maybe it because Tim Horton’s slow close to the highway and people are carrying more weight around, causing the asphalt to buckle, just look around a bit, maybe if the local mha,s cut back on the Tim bits, got out and walked the roads, bonkers, they may just determine the cause, can anyone tell me what 6 and 11 and 21 is,,,, NTV, CBC and ABC, couch potatoes. Please try to get it right before the big government pensions start flowing in, and the unfortunate hard working tax payers of this country pays for it again.

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  Mike

  - August 28, 2012 at 12:12:14

  The issue with the paving failing so rapidly is due to the stud use on tires, specifically passenger vehicles. Engineering studies have proven that premature road failure is due to the use of metal studded tires. Heavy truck traffic albiet does stress the road out it is not the culprit here. Until the Government of Newfoundland bans the use of studded tires as all other provinces have there will be a continual stream of repaving every two years on high traffic areas and upward slopes where the centrifical force is greater. Just another waste of taxpayers money, the paving companies love it as it is a good source of income. Better winter road maintenance practises and winter tires only will give the roads in Newfoundland a longer life span and better savings on all the road and transport department budgets.