Newly resurfaced roads breaking up already

[*_ash_* 88]

There are a few bits that need redoing, but not entirely. The Knowle lane ones look (to an untrained eye) like a bit of subsidence, or perhaps a shoddy few hours works when it was done, but most of the road is ok (not brilliant, but I don't know when it was done)

 

The Carterknowle Road ones that someone mentioned, I went over the other day. Particularly bad around speed bumps, though not surprising, the road area surrounding the bumps get a hammering all day (as well as our suspensions). They should all be removed IMO unless they are consistent size-wise in the city.

 

The one mentioned at the bottom of Ripley Street probably takes some hammer but also there must be some loose ground below that area that can't be fixed... the answer to this one is it probably needs that 20 metre section heavily repaired every 6 months or so.

[The PIT 10]

Yes I've noticed the level of repairs is sub standard. Problem is some of the roads need properly relaying and not just the top few layers taking off.

All that happens now is the previous utility company repairs aren't properly packed down so the new layer just sinks into the old repairs.

They also haven't been tarmacking properly around manhole covers and grates creating another weakness and these breakup pretty quickly.

[HandyBob 10]

Yes all the roads were done in Sheffield by SWD .. I use to work for the council in the 90's and it wasn't all ways the fastest way, because the road would have been resurfaced be time you got all the signs out saying the road were closed.

A Lab Tec would come out on site taking samples to be tested not sure if this happen with Amey ... If not why not ??????!!!!!

[Monitor 11]

....

Amey carry out similar contracts in other places, if they folded the company set up to service the Sheffield contract and walked away, their reputation would be in tatters and it would not bode well for any future bids elsewhere.

 

Do they set up separate companies for each council they work for?

[Mogster 10]

Do they set up separate companies for each council they work for?

 

I wouldn't make a sweeping generalisation and say 'yes' but the big utility & construction companies I've dealt with have many different subsidiaries that do different things, and for a really big contract 2 or more companies may link up and form a separate legal entity that they all have an interest in. I was involved in a PFI project a few years ago and the legal entity that won the contract was set up solely to deliver that work. So although I don't actually know because I haven't researched it, I would be very surprised if the bit of Amey that's delivering Streets Ahead is a long-established legal entity that is at the core of their business.

Edited March 15, 2017 by Mogster

[Cyclone 10]

as well as completing the last year of the core investment works to pick up areas which haven't been resurfaced yet.

 

Are they really in the last year?

Because there are an awful lot of roads that haven't been touched yet.

 

---------- Post added 15-03-2017 at 08:49 ----------

 

So more disruption which wouldn't be needed if the work had been done well, and the point still remains that these repairs will need to be paid for - by whom? I would love to know what the commercial arrangements are for this. If Amey are getting paid for maintenance as well as resurfacing, perhaps there is a perverse incentive for them to lay roads that will require lots of maintenance? Call me a cynic if you like but private companies seem to see the public purse as an easy cash cow and right now I have no confidence that my council tax is being spent wisely

 

They are paid a fixed amount, if they create more maintenance work for themselves then this is at a cost to themselves only, there are no additional charges to the council for maintenance.

[flantastico 10]

As others have said, Amey are responsible for maintaining the roads to the agreed standard for the next 25 years. So, if the surfacing fails early, it really is their problem.

 

 

You would hope so wouldn't you, but I'd wager that if push comes to shove, its the Council (i.e. us) who will be the losers.

Look at the way Hammersons gave the council the run around over the New Retail Quarter, or the way Next made them look fools over the location of the Next Home store, or the way John Lewis has them dangling from a string over the SRQ now.

History suggests that when the council messes with the big boys, the big boys win.

[Mogster 10]

You would hope so wouldn't you, but I'd wager that if push comes to shove, its the Council (i.e. us) who will be the losers.

Look at the way Hammersons gave the council the run around over the New Retail Quarter, or the way Next made them look fools over the location of the Next Home store, or the way John Lewis has them dangling from a string over the SRQ now.

History suggests that when the council messes with the big boys, the big boys win.

 

There is always the issue of penalty clauses too - i.e. if the contractor fails to deliver, so what? I was in contracts a few years back & the penalty clauses for some public sector work were so soft that basically the contractor could deliver nowhere near what was agreed and get away with it. I would love to know what the penalty to the contractor would be if Streets Ahead didn't deliver to the agreed standards

[TriumphStag 10]

Really disappointed with the pavements on Carter Knowle Avenue, many of the edging stones between the pavement and the grass verges had deteriorated badly and have been replaced, but the concrete on others has crumbled and haven't been replaced...after a few more winters they will be shot and the grass will overrun on to the asphalt pavement again..back to square one!...Sure someone in charge ain't doing their job right....

[BHRemovals 10]

everyone is talking about this and its about time we got answers

[1978 14]

Back in October roads were closed overnight around Fox House to permit Hathersage Road and Owler Bar Road to be resurfaced. On 19th November I reported a pot hole had opened already on Owler Bar Road and, credit where due, it was filled within 48 hours.

 

Earlier this month the roads were closed again overnight and several sections of these roads have been dug up and completely relaid - including the bit that had the pot hole. I can't help wondering if the commendable desire to get the job done quickly, disrupting traffic as little as possible, leads to too much being done in the dark when quality may suffer as a result.

 

Of course the road planing and relaying does nothing to resolve any failures in the road foundations, some of which (like the ones mentioned above) were originally very well laid in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Some might suggest we're tarring over the cracks.

[Guest makapaka]

There is always the issue of penalty clauses too - i.e. if the contractor fails to deliver, so what? I was in contracts a few years back & the penalty clauses for some public sector work were so soft that basically the contractor could deliver nowhere near what was agreed and get away with it. I would love to know what the penalty to the contractor would be if Streets Ahead didn't deliver to the agreed standards

 

You can't have penalty clauses in uk construction contracts. They're not enforceable in law.