Every year, Mackenzie District Council carries out a road resealing programme over summer as part of a planned preventative maintenance programme for our sealed roads. People who don't understand the process often question why this is necessary.

The seal on a road is like paint on your house - it keeps water out of the structure underneath. Like paint, the seal breaks down over time and starts to let water in. When the surface of a road starts to break down it is time to reseal the road which makes the surface waterproof and reduces the rate of further deterioration. The newly sealed surface can be expected to last between 11 and 25 years before requiring a further reseal.

The ideal time to reseal is just before any damage occurs, so your road may still look to be in good condition before the reseal is undertaken. Council reseals on average at least 17 lane kilometres road each year at a cost of just over $500,000 per annum.

Mackenzie roads are generally resealed with a stone chip seal. The process begins with minor repairs being carried out ideally 12 months prior to resealing (called pre-seal repairs). Resealing involves spraying on a layer of bitumen which is then spread with stone chips. These are rolled in before traffic is then allowed on the road to bed-in the new seal. Finally, remaining loose sealing chips are swept away within a week or so, road marking is reinstated soon after, and temporary traffic management removed.

Due to a delay in the pre-seal repairs in 2021, Council’s reseal programme will incorporate two years of reseals. Work will be undertaken from Mid-November until mid-December 2022.

Council apologises for any inconvenience and asks that when passing through these work sites you adhere to the speed limits as this protects both those working on the site and the new seal giving both the opportunity for an extended life.

If you want to find out more about Council's reseal programme please contact the Roading Engineer on 0800 685 8514 or email us at info@mackenzie.govt.nz