Second World War blamed for potholed roads

Roads designed to take the weight of a tank are the reason for the sorry state of the city’s major routes, say transport bosses. More than a dozen holes have appeared in the patchwork tarmac surface of Milton Road – and it is set to get worse. But highways chiefs at Cambridgeshire County Council say the potholes are appearing here, and in Hills Road and St Andrew’s Street, because they are ‘tank roads’.

They were designed to take heavy military vehicles in the Second World War. Farmland which later became home to Cambridge Science Park in Milton Road was requisitioned for the US Army and used to prepare vehicles and tanks for the D-Day landings in Normandy. A council spokesman said: “We have received one complaint about potholes in Milton Road and repair works will be carried out on the road after the Christmas period.

The road was built as a tank road and specially surfaced to cope with heavy duty military vehicles to be transported from the railway station to military barracks such as at Waterbeach. “We have three tank roads in Cambridge – Milton Road, Hills Road and St Andrew’s Street. Tank roads were built to be very solid and less permeable than other roads and when the water collects under them and then freezes it blows out parts of the road.

“We have only had the usual number of reports of potholes so far this year but we can expect to see a lot more in a month or two.” And the number of potholes on Cambridgeshire’s roads is steadily shrinking, as the News reported. In 2009/10, there were 7,129 potholes recorded on the 2,741 miles of roads managed by the county council. The following year the number fell to 6,567, and in the last year dropped to 3,257. But the cost of road repairs and upgrades has rocketed. In 2009/10 the bill was £1.8 million, rising to £3.2 million the following year and nearly £4 million in the last 12 months up to June.

Source:
Second World War blamed for potholed roads | Cambridge News | Latest News Headlines From Cambridge City & Cambridgeshire | National News By Cambridge News

 

Ah! So this explains why ALL the roads in Great Britain are falling apart...they were all once 'tank roads'!

 

Seems that pot holes are a very small price to pay for ensuring the survival of the United Kingdom. But then some people would complain about anything I suppose.

 

We're so sorry,

Uncle Albert.

I know that's the wrong Beatle song, but I wanted to get in the apology before the Prez!

 

Well, it's an original excuse I suppose.

 

Potholian conspiracy.......one who repairs potholes.......and is paid for each repair.....could have incentive to have more of the same. Perhaps they have done their math on how many to find before reaching the point of "diminishing returns"....If they did a quality repair it would cause cessation of contracts. If they report more potholes than ever.....it draws suspicion. How wise they are to be able to shift up the diminishing returns point by "Tank explanations" from the long ago. Perhaps you have "deregulated" capitalism there too.

 

I'm surprised it's not the Daily Mail....anyone who has ever driven anywhere near any former WWII airfields or army depots in the UK during the last 60 years will expect a poor road surface. Approach and service roads were laid to regular Ministry pattern in very hardwearing concrete. Since WWII, these have been overlaid with numerous thin layers of relatively soft asphalt which always wears through quickly to the harder material beneath.

No - it's a feeble Local Government excuse for cuts in the road budget......

 

Ah, yes - I just checked. Cambs CC is 85% Conservative/Liberal, so it's much easier to blame WWII than the Coalition Government for rubbish roads.

 

There used to be a concrete section of the M74 at Lockerbie years ago which always made drivers think they either had a puncture or their steering was gone. Wasn't wartime, just experimental.
Think the council eventually got the message and upgraded it.

 

If his voters believe him , he is a damn good politician.

 

As we say here, he could probably tell a lie and prove it.