I'm ont a civil engineer by training, below is compiled from the explainations of Jabatan Kejuruteraan MPSJ as well as some civil engineers I know. If you know of any mistakes or options I've missed out, please let me know.
Most road in USJ has not been resurfaced sinced it was first built by the developer 15-20-25 years ago. The roads experience wear and tear over time, and needs to be resurfaced every few years (between 7-12 years). The frequency of resurfacing would depend on the quality of the initial construction (some areas the roads are badly damaged after 2 years) as well as the usage (commericial/industrial areas get worn out faster than residential areas, and so do u-turn areas).
USJ2 is particularly bad since its the oldest, and so is Taipan. Not to mention the industrial area in USJ1, which is terrible.
Unfortunately, MPSJ has never budgetted for regular road resurfacing all these years. Since areas in MPSJ is relatively new, before this they mostly got away with it. Federal Government does channel road resurfacing funds (its called Geran MARRIS) to local councils, in Selangor thru the state govt. In MPSJ, this money is used to resurface roads. For 2010, we have been allocated RM2.5mil.
MPSJ has budgeted a small amount, RM3.8mil for road maintenance for 2010. This amount is used to repair potholes, kerbs, re-paint road lines, modify/fix dangerous junctions, etc.
It is estimated that RM78 mil is needed to resurface the whole of MPSJ areas.
Alright, so we've covered why roads have not been resurfaced regularly. But then why isn't the roads patched properly?
There are basically 3 kinds of ways to patch/re-surface the road.
1. Re-surface
This is where the whole stretch of road is re-surfaced with an additional 25-40mm or bitumen&tar. When this is done,
a) the quantity is large, so the materials used are hot at the right temperature from the quary. With this, the roads last longer.
b) a roller, probably 8tons is used, proper compression is achived.
c) The level of the road is raised by one or 2 inches.
d) this method, if done properly would last
e) cost around RM22/sqm, but this price is only valid if you do large quantity, like the whole USJ2
2. Mill & Pave
This is basically the same as the above, but with an additional step. Before the resurfacing is done, the top layer of the road (wearning course) is removed before the road is resurfaced. Benefits: the road height is maintain (which is good for main roads, so the kerb doesn't dissapear after a few rounds of resurfacing) and some say the work last longer. Cost approx RM32/sqm, but once again this price is only valid if you do large quantity.
3. Patching
This is where they fill the pothole and a slightly bigger areas around it. Normally done with the hand-compressor, instead of 8ton roller. Can last between 3-24 months, depending on whether it was raining during work and the usage just after patching as well as (lets not forget) contractor's dedication.
Cost RM18/sqm, but applicable for small quantities.
The compliants about the resurfacing quality arises from the fact that most work is done by patching.
Since the cost is not much higher to re-surface, why not just resurface the roads affected, instead of patching? It would certainly produce better quality roads short and long term. And it would be cheaper long term to do so. Well,
- The price of RM22/sqm is only applicable is the quantity is large.
- If we want to repair small strecths of roads in the best quality, we would need to do the mill&pave method, so that the patched portion is properly leveled.
- However, that requires a huge cost to deploy the various equipement to do so, and
- most of the bitumen has to be discarded, as by the time you're done with the 2nd pothole, the truckload would be cold, and not effective anymore.
- Mill & pave might work out to a few hundred RM/sqm in this case. Money that we simply don't have.
- Patching of roads will continue, as we will not allow potholes. It poses a danger, and motorcyclist have died because of potholes. Funds from the RM3.8mil willl be used for this.
- Certain road changes, due to road safety and sometime traffic requirement have to be done from time to time. Funds from the RM3.8mil willl be used for this.
- Funds need to be put aside for more resurfacing. For the 2010 budget, I tried to fight for RM6mil extra for road resurfacing, by cutting some overhead expenditure, such as "makanan & minuman", etc. However, the YDP was dead set against it, and the budget was passed in his favour. Anyways, a rare time at a local council the budget wasn't passed unanimously. Maybe I'll blog more on this later.
- We should be allocating RM8mil/year (so all roads can be resurfaced once in 10 years) starting 2011. I suggest to raise funds for this, we need to cut a little bit on our overhead expenditure (cost savings), as well as look at raising new sources of revenue. I'm already pushing for MPSJ to sell advertising space on its bus stops and pedestrian bridges. More on this measures later.
3 comments:
just bear in mind that mpsj and also jkr are liable for pothole accidents. There are already cases brought to court and compensation made thru out-of-court-settlement... the victims had been very lucky as sometimes, even a simple fall can kill.
I hope MPSJ can learn from the suits, lest unnecessary pay-outs need to be made.
Prevention is better than cure.
Keith,
You're absolutely right, which is why priority is always to patch potholes. We may not have the smoothest roads on the earth, but we strive for pothole free roads
Patching of road is not the best but the cheapest method of repairing damaged roads on an ad hoc basis, especially the potholes. Normally patching of road will result in differential in road level or camber that impedes the flow of surface water runoff that leads to stagnation or puddle of water on the road, which causes potholes.
Re-surfacing and milling & paving of roads are for scheduled and planned maintenance whereas patching is for ad hoc or unplanned maintenance.
Re-surfacing or re-premixing without milling of internal service roads (in housing area) is recommended as the increase in carriageway level will not affect other services such as telephone and sewer manhole covers which are located on road shoulders or road side table.
Patching, resurfacing or/and milling & paving are futile if the surface water runoff from the road is inadequate or inefficient. In most cases, it is mainly caused by silt, litter and dead leaves clogging up the scupper drains arising from poor or no maintenance. As for the internal service roads without kerbs or scupper drains, the runoff is normally badly affected by roadside landscaping with level higher than the road carriageway and further aggravated by non-provision of scupper or open drains by the residents.
Most local authorities do not depend entirely on fund from "Geran MARRIS" to maintain or resurface the roads, otherwise all the roads under the local authorities' jurisdiction will be in extremely bad condition. It is a prudent practice that the local authorities will allocate a budget from other revenues, particularly the assessment collections to finance scheduled road maintenance cost. Allocation of budget should be based on priority in which road users'safety should comes first.
It is a grave concern if the authority is persistently unable to maintain a reasonably good road condition simply due to lack of fund. A solution must be found.
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