Port Taranaki, New Plymouth – HaTelit®

On the key road entering Port Taranaki, signs of pavement fatigue were beginning to show on the main roundabout joining Breakwater Road and Newton King Street. Significant reflective cracking was appearing within the asphalt. Left unattended, the road would become unsafe for fully laden vehicles to drive. Large potholes would appear, causing increased vehicle repairs and maintenance. All heavy traffic entering and exiting the port would be forced to operate at lower speeds, meaning lower productivity. With vehicle, staff safety and lost revenue a concern if nothing was done, Cirtex was approached to find out whether HaTelit was the right product for the job.

DESIGN

The client’s original intent was to design a stopgap solution, buying time to look at traffic rerouting options so major repair works could be done on the road at a later stage. The option of a full pavement reconstruction would have taken considerable time and cost. With an already damaged surface, the contractor wanted to place HaTelit C directly on top of the cracked asphalt with minimal preparation, significantly reducing repair time. Designed to prevent reflective cracking and significantly extend the life of the repaired road, HaTelit C is an off-the-shelf solution that contractors can easily integrate into their design.

INSTALLATION

Using the contractor’s internally designed specifications, Cirtex supplied 1800 sqm of HaTelit C. The busy road was closed overnight, keeping interruption of operations to a minimum. The original surface cracks were prepared, the tack coat applied, allowing the repair crew to lay HaTelit C and a new 50mm layer of asphalt in time for the new road to open the following morning. In one night, this key route within the port was operational again.

The new road, initially expected to last 12 months has endured well beyond these ‘stopgap’ measures. The interim solution shows no signs of deterioration. HaTelit C has prevented any reflective cracking, allowing Port Taranaki more time to consider if major works on the roads are necessary at at all, potentially saving them considerable operational efficiency and investment cost.

The HaTelit C asphalt reinforcement grid provided the following benefits to the project:

• Prevents reflective cracking
• Extended the life of the repaired road beyond all expectations
• Saved considerable repair cost