- Location
- Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
In a fit of responsibility, I’ve admitted my guilt, conceding that it was I that chopped down the metaphoric cherry tree.
The crime scene is not what you might have been suspecting, but rather 40’ of chewed up tarmac on her majesty’s highway. It’s our own plant and machinery traffic, and goods both inbound and outbound, that is the problem. The road is built floating across very soggy ground, and you can watch it flex as larger gear comes and goes.
Matters aren’t helped by a blocked gutter nearby, which we can no longer keep open for logistical reasons. This allows water to run across the chewed up road surface for much of the winter, with the inevitable results. I knew that what is needed is a fresh culvert, bypassing the drain which we can’t get to. I can deal with this, or at least delegate to the right team, and was minded to just get it done. So we checked with the very sensible chief road chap, and got authorisation, subject to various matters. OK, a quote was obtained from a suitably qualified crew we know, and all was set for next month.
At the same time, Alison reported in a few potholes further along the road, reminding the powers that be at every stage that these are due to a –different- collapsed culvert that I’ve given up trying to keep clear. I’m game to do my bit, but I can see the stone slabs under the road have fallen in, which is why it blocks.
This is causing water to run down 50 meters of road, which in turn trashes that surface. It needs doing, and it’s a public highway. As it happens, I offered to replace this culvert a few years ago, when I could see County Hall was tipping the cushions off the sofa for loose change, but nice head roadie forbade me to touch it, assuring me he’d got a few quid under his mattress for such eventualities.
Well that never happened, and now the road is sinking into this collapsed culvert, and there are craters appearing. I have poured some remedial concrete where the whole side of the road was sliding off downhill, but the root cause remains. So we reported it for the umpteenth time. With me so far? The bigger job, we’ll just get on and deal with, the council can sort the smaller one.
And what happens? There have been at least 2 visits by lads in pick-ups, one of whom admitted that they’d been diverted about 40 miles to come and see the job, despite being on a different job at the time, and didn’t have the gear needed for this job anyway. Then a couple of handy old boys turned up with a truck, a few hand tools, and some tar…..and filled in the worst of the potholes where we’d just set up the contractors to replace the whole section. I went and asked them why they were doing so, when we were about to lift the whole lot, but got blank looks…this is where they’ve been sent. Hey ho. A day later, they- or someone else- returned and filled the potholes caused by the other collapsed culvert we’d reported, but did nothing about the cause. A week later, a bigger crew arrive and repair the whole stretch that we’re about to dig up to lay a new drain. I caught up with those chaps –and I should say that in each case these are perfectly pleasant, sensible working lads, just doing what they’re told. We explained what the plan was…but they’d already started, having been sent specifically to do it. We agreed they might as well finish the job now.
So, at the time of writing, we’ve had, so far this year, at least 5 crew visit, and the surface of the highway has now been made good.
Regrettably both the new culvert which I’ve arranged to be installed, and the collapsed old one I’ve previously offered to renew, haven’t been done. So all of this work will undoubtedly be shot again in a few short months. The contractors I’ve hired could either leave it for another year, or rip up the freshly repaired surface…we haven’t decided as yet.
Clearly, there is a serious flaw in the system, which is wasting time and materials in a manner which beggars belief. I would say I just couldn’t care less any more, but this is the only road into our place, and we’re all mightily sick of bumping in and out of craters. And I have a nasty suspicion that the only way it’ll fixed properly is if we arrange the whole blasted lot ourselves. I can’t say I’m impressed.
-------------------------
Anton's articles are syndicated exclusively by TFF by kind permission of the author and WMN.
Anton also writes regularly for the Dartmoor Magazine and the NFU
He has published two books; the second "The Complete Bullocks" is still in print
http://www.anton-coaker.co.uk/book.htm
The crime scene is not what you might have been suspecting, but rather 40’ of chewed up tarmac on her majesty’s highway. It’s our own plant and machinery traffic, and goods both inbound and outbound, that is the problem. The road is built floating across very soggy ground, and you can watch it flex as larger gear comes and goes.
Matters aren’t helped by a blocked gutter nearby, which we can no longer keep open for logistical reasons. This allows water to run across the chewed up road surface for much of the winter, with the inevitable results. I knew that what is needed is a fresh culvert, bypassing the drain which we can’t get to. I can deal with this, or at least delegate to the right team, and was minded to just get it done. So we checked with the very sensible chief road chap, and got authorisation, subject to various matters. OK, a quote was obtained from a suitably qualified crew we know, and all was set for next month.
At the same time, Alison reported in a few potholes further along the road, reminding the powers that be at every stage that these are due to a –different- collapsed culvert that I’ve given up trying to keep clear. I’m game to do my bit, but I can see the stone slabs under the road have fallen in, which is why it blocks.
This is causing water to run down 50 meters of road, which in turn trashes that surface. It needs doing, and it’s a public highway. As it happens, I offered to replace this culvert a few years ago, when I could see County Hall was tipping the cushions off the sofa for loose change, but nice head roadie forbade me to touch it, assuring me he’d got a few quid under his mattress for such eventualities.
Well that never happened, and now the road is sinking into this collapsed culvert, and there are craters appearing. I have poured some remedial concrete where the whole side of the road was sliding off downhill, but the root cause remains. So we reported it for the umpteenth time. With me so far? The bigger job, we’ll just get on and deal with, the council can sort the smaller one.
And what happens? There have been at least 2 visits by lads in pick-ups, one of whom admitted that they’d been diverted about 40 miles to come and see the job, despite being on a different job at the time, and didn’t have the gear needed for this job anyway. Then a couple of handy old boys turned up with a truck, a few hand tools, and some tar…..and filled in the worst of the potholes where we’d just set up the contractors to replace the whole section. I went and asked them why they were doing so, when we were about to lift the whole lot, but got blank looks…this is where they’ve been sent. Hey ho. A day later, they- or someone else- returned and filled the potholes caused by the other collapsed culvert we’d reported, but did nothing about the cause. A week later, a bigger crew arrive and repair the whole stretch that we’re about to dig up to lay a new drain. I caught up with those chaps –and I should say that in each case these are perfectly pleasant, sensible working lads, just doing what they’re told. We explained what the plan was…but they’d already started, having been sent specifically to do it. We agreed they might as well finish the job now.
So, at the time of writing, we’ve had, so far this year, at least 5 crew visit, and the surface of the highway has now been made good.
Regrettably both the new culvert which I’ve arranged to be installed, and the collapsed old one I’ve previously offered to renew, haven’t been done. So all of this work will undoubtedly be shot again in a few short months. The contractors I’ve hired could either leave it for another year, or rip up the freshly repaired surface…we haven’t decided as yet.
Clearly, there is a serious flaw in the system, which is wasting time and materials in a manner which beggars belief. I would say I just couldn’t care less any more, but this is the only road into our place, and we’re all mightily sick of bumping in and out of craters. And I have a nasty suspicion that the only way it’ll fixed properly is if we arrange the whole blasted lot ourselves. I can’t say I’m impressed.
-------------------------
Anton's articles are syndicated exclusively by TFF by kind permission of the author and WMN.
Anton also writes regularly for the Dartmoor Magazine and the NFU
He has published two books; the second "The Complete Bullocks" is still in print
http://www.anton-coaker.co.uk/book.htm
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