Avenue to be dug up again?
Monday 15th March 2010, 2:59PM GMT.
Test are being carried out to see if tarmac between Rue du Galet and First Tower needs relaying
TESTS are being carried out to see whether tarmac laid as part of the £2.3 million project to resurface Victoria Avenue is substandard and needs relaying.
Transport and Technical Services have confirmed that they are checking the quality of the surface between Rue du Galet and First Tower. The project is the second of a three-phase scheme to replace road, drains and lights on the Island’s busiest road and is being financed from the economic stimulus package.
In 2008, the first phase at Bel Royal sparked outrage when it was revealed that the project was £200,000 over budget and behind schedule. Transport and Technical Services admitted reworking the road system at Bel Royal without consulting the emergency services, which meant that their vehicles had to mount the pavement.
Now the JEP has learned that concerns have been raised about areas of the tarmac put down between Rue du Galet and First Tower. It is not yet clear whether this could cause any delays to the project.
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LOL how can you not!
so glad there are saving us money, thats another 3% added to GST in the coming years then and im guessing there is no one to blame either
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LOL what a joke!
thats another % added to the GST when it goes up then, so who’s going to get the blame for this then, so much for saving money!
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But everyone would be moaning if it fell apart after a few months and had to be relaid anyway so it’s just as well they are investigating it now.
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This whole project is turning out to be a joke. I walk the entire length of the avenue each morning and every day all I see is about 4 or 5 groups of 5 or so guys standing around doing nothing. Very ocassionally one of them may have a spade or some paperwork and the rest just stand around staring into the sky. Its exactly the same when I finish work and walk home.
I think rather then laying off 400 health workers who are literally non stop in their work we should take a hard look at the TTS department and sort these guys out as from what I have seen they could cut half the guys on the job and there would be little or no difference.
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Time to bring the French road builders over, they would do a proper job in half the time, you only have to look at the superb autoroutes to see how good a job they do.
I bet it wouldn’t break the Terrybank either.
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You just got to look at what they just laid on the inner road towards cheapside appalling!
and were paying top money for bad workmanship
send the goverment to france and they will show how to lay good tarmac there roads are great
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Could SOMEBODY please be held responsible for SOMETHING in this Island?? People are censured and sacked in private companies but we never hear in the Civil Service or States – under-spec tarmac it’s not an out-of-shape paperclip, this MUST be somebody’s fault.
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keeps all these people in work the states have it all planned out do the job twice less people out of work
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Left hand and right hand. The Avenue is the place where one of the event led torusim events takes place – the Jersey International Motoring Festival Moonlight Sprint in June. Guess what, it won’t take place this year as they are digging it up at the same time…ehhmmm
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Can you people not read if the avenue gets ripped up again it will be at the expense of RONEZ which is a private company and it won’t cost the taxpayer a penny
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Oh my god you are having a laugh,..I don’t know who is actually doing the work there but the roads are in a worse state than ever, are you doing this to keep people employed? You are honestly wasting time and money this is not cost effective. Who are your contractora are they local or from the UK..or half and half…useless and what a waste of money, The Avenue is a disgrace and this Island should be ashamed of themselves for allowing such bad workmanship happen…….
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That is about right.i thought Le sech did all the tarmac work around there,not Ronez,anyway whoever did this job,they must pay for any further work.
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I suppose there will be an “independent” inquiry and review with the TSS boss stating : “We can learn from this” Don’t think they’ll bother with the consultation process but scrutiny might get involved and it might well become a health and safety What a damn circus this island has become ! If you make sure something is done right in the first place none of the above is needed. Simple !
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Jab comment 7 couldn’t agree more, someone got this worng who and why does he/she still have a job.
This is a joke, I never understood why it was a priority in the first place, surely keeping 400 jobs in health is money better spent. Still maybe those losing their jobs in health can head down and join those already stood by the roadside chatting and reading their papers, I saw one working the other day, I hope he was disciplined for it.
I predict that this work will be ongoing until the recession ends at which point miraculously rapid progress will be made.
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While they are road mending, howabout doing something about Greve de L’ecq valley which has been allowed to fall into a disgraceful state.
The roads are falling into the valley through, I would guess a combination of the vastly oversized builders lorries and huge agricultural tractors.
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Ministry of Stupidity?
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@#10 Mick: Ronez to pay? That means the actual tarmac from their depot must have problems. Which means they have quality control issues, either known or unknown. They do have testing labs here. So one has to ask, are Ronez knowingly supplying sub standard Tarmac? If this is the case, then all roads using Ronez Tarmac must be tested.
Contractors, Pallot Tarmac are actually owned by Ronez, do they have the contract of laying the Tarmac on the Avenue while Trant do all the other stuff?
Many questions need to be asked!!
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mick #10
Its not quite that clearcut
RONEZ manufactured the tarmac and then Le sech laid it.
Cant really tell from the article if the tarmac was sub standard or the workmanship laying it.
Or it could be the original specs from TTS that were wrong.
Gonna be one hell of an argument !
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I quite often park in the lay-by near Bel Royal and walk into town along the front (taking my life in my hands as I dodge works vehicles and bikes along there at the moment). Normally at the beginning of April the free parking along there ceases, to cater for the hordes of tourists that obviously need these spaces instead.
My question is, are you really going to enforce this rule again this year when a) the car parks along there are in an absolute state and b) the number of spaces available has been reduced considerably? Can you not wait until the work has finished before this rule is initiated? (I realise that this is stupendously wishful thinking)
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It doesn’t really matter either way. Within a year it will be dug up a million times and poorly repaired just like very other road they’ve resurfaced on this island.
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TTS do it again!
Go to the UK, or any other part of the civilized world, and long stretches of busy road resurfaced in a slick and efficient manner. Critical work is carried out off-peak, not in the rush hour.
Was there a penalty clause? No, the error as probably in the TTS contract, issued in a rush of public largess . Our money, their spending.
Heads should roll.
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mick (10) RONEZ which is a private company and it won’t cost the taxpayer a penny
What nonsense. Hundreds of motorist snarled up every morning and evening, missed appointments, missed flights. The cost to the economy of Jersey is incalculable.
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Most people replying ehre need to actually check some facts before replying.
-If the tarmac is substandard, the contractor will be responsible for all costs, NOT the taxpayer
-All the staff on the site are employees of Pallot Tarmac or their sub -contractors, NOT states employees
-The Avenue work is very necessary, as the road is falling apart. This is a massivly used road, and its important lumps of tarmac dont hit your windscreen at 40mph
Who are people suggesting is fired? States employees, because a private contractor produced some sub-standard tarmac, and then this was noticed and is being rectified.
My all means have a rant at the States when they make a mess of something, but check your facts before maknig yourself look like such a fool!
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Thank you TTS, I won £20 bet! I knew it will be re-done soon, I did not expect it may happen so quickly. God bless civil servants ignorance
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Re #10, is it actually RONEZ who are doing these works ?
Time past, RONEZ did all of the islands roads and they knew what they were doing. But now there are other contractors and there appear to be quality control issues.
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Mr Jackson is quite correct, the tarmac on the island’s roads should be level and consistent. the folk living in the West of the Island should be happy that Victoria Avenue is being revamped.
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Tim 23 “but check your facts before maknig yourself look like such a fool!
Thanks for ponting this oot Tim, I hat maknig a foal of myslef.
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not being an expert I stand to be corrected but I am a little concerned about the level of the road surface when set against the curbing which is ventilated for drainage in the event of heavy rain or a high tide.
if you look when heading into town the road surface stops short of the curb as it is higher than the level of the drainage holes.
if I am right is this going to cost a fortune to get right or will it be left to flood or will we all fall off the edge of the road into the gutter?
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@Toastedteacakes #26
“Mr Jackson is quite correct, the tarmac on the island’s roads should be level and consistent…”
If he does indeed think this than he’s not correct, and even more unsuited to his role than I previously thought; the Tarmac shouldn’t be level so as to drain water.
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No 29 J Lamborrari Apparently the tarmac is substandard, the standard of the drains has not yet been established.
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@ 18 PJG.
Le sech, with Jayen did Phase one of the Avenue, Phase two is being done with Trant/ Pallot Tarmac.
Le Sech are doing the Cheapside resurface.
Avenue Phase 3 is yet to be awarded.
All tarmac /Asphalt is supplied by Ronez, who no longer lay it on the roads except via their other company Pallot Tarmac.
@29 J Lamborrari.
Just a small point, roads and paved areas are laid to ‘fall’ for drainage, it is a requirement that they are laid level across that fall within a certain distance to prevent a ‘wave/bump’ type effect. This wave/bump can have an adverse effect on the speed of vehicles using the road.
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Is it just me or have they made the new sections of the road narrower ?
Love the expensive looking drainage kerbs and not sure why the lights need replacing ….
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@ 28 Boris
When laying tarmac/asphalt roads there are various layers using different sized stone, larger at the bottom and a finishing surface coating made up of finer material. What you may be seeing is the finished level of one of the lower levels of asphalt. Because of the traffic weight and speed on the Avenue, there may be another one or two layers to be applied yet.
@23 Tim
“-All the staff on the site are employees of Pallot Tarmac or their sub -contractors, NOT states employees”
Not so, there will be staff from Trant, Pallot Tarmac and Ronez. Also on behalf of the States, TTS Engineers, UK Engineers, Local Engineers and States Clerk of Works.
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@25 Warren J.
Ronez did in fact do all the roads in times past, they made the asphalt and laid it. Then they stopped laying it and the best men left/redundant and started their own company, which I believe is Le Sech.
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No. 32.
Yes they have made the central reservation wider.(I wonder if emergency services are happy with this!)
I see they are doing something at five oaks roundabout again. I have lived near it for 20 years and it must have been re-modeled about half a dozen times.
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Who let this happen!
Are we paying pro’s to resurface our roads or did we get some first-timers? And how do you justify £2.3M on resurfacing a road anyway? Its a long road, granted. But £2.3M?
Whoever made this mistake must pay for it! and because this will surly cause delays in the project being completed, how about some compensation for the time added to my journey every day? costing me time in travel and petrol money. I have no problem with road works causing me an inconvenience but when a dumb mistake is made that puts me out, its time to pay the piper
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Here we go again! this island couldn’t organise a fete for 3 people without it costing millions and taking months to put up a wooden table, My goodness who is oranising these things, i wonder, who supplys the tarmac and how did no one notice it was bad quality? can you imagine the cost now growing higher and higher due to mass overtimes! was this planned???
Tell me something that has been under budget, finished on time and is good quality.
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I nearly missed out the fact this happened on new st a couple of years ago! same thing bad tarmac and it had to be dug up and relaid again!
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Why are these men who parade around in yellow jackets and white hats not regularly supervised.
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This story is pure sensationalism and really isn’t worth the paper or ink. Must have been a slow news day.
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I myself blame the CoM, this never would have happened in the old days when the slightest dent meant a mile or so of road was re-tarmaced.
I also wonder have they changed the tarmac mix or something? The reason I ask this is in the old days when the utilities dug up any given road a temporary second grade patch was put on whilst things settled for six months, before a new decent coat was applied.
I must say the stuff passing as good grade doesn’t appear as good as the second grade stuff they used to use back then.
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In my day folk had more patience and time was allowed for the tarmac to dry before the next surface layer.
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Mark – 22 You are the one talking nonsense. If any one has missed an appointment, flight or been late for work then that is through their own fault and not the fault of TTS or any of the contractors working on the Avenue. Just leave earler or take a different route, the Avenue is not the only road in Jersey. These road works have been well publicised so one wouldn’t happen upon them by accident.
Don’t blame others for your lack of forward planning.
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i hope the taxpayer, will not be expected to pay again.
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Hobgoblin (43) Mark – 22 You are the one talking nonsense
I am only talking nonsense if you believe that severe traffic disruption is the mission of TTS.
As a Hoboblin chaos is probably your natural environment. I feel sorry for you.
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