Beating the odds with action and Weather Barrier

It's currently autumn in New Zealand's leafy city Hamilton. While the beautiful colors and cooler temperatures that come with the turn of season are welcome to many for crews who maintain the city's roads, autumn brings challenges.

Autumn brings the last months of New Zealand's road construction season and, with it, colder temperatures and increased rain showers heightening the risk of chip loss during sealing works. Although many teams aim to have their road sealing complete in April, a busy summer season hampered by outside factors can see projects push into May, further increasing the risks from adverse weather.

This was the case for a team on Pukete Road in northern Hamilton. Knowing the autumnal risks, the crew picked an afternoon forecast to bring optimal sealing weather. Cloudy skies with no chance of rain with some rain arriving in the morning.

However, by lunchtime that forecast had dramatically changed and rain which was expected from the early evening.

Limited options no problem with Weather Barrier

With preparation and some sealing already underway when the forecast was revised, the team were unable postpone the work. Luckily, the team had taken the proactive step of using Weather Barrier in the membrane.

This quickly proved its worth. Heavy rain arrived shortly into the shift, pouring about 30mm onto the work area and, despite the downpour, the team saw no evidence of chip loss, no damage to the sealed surface and no adverse environmental impacts.

Weather Barrier: A Valuable Ally?

Pukete Road highlights the value of proactively using Weather Barrier when mitigating weather risks during road construction.

By enabling effective sealing even under challenging conditions, Weather Barrier empowers crews to ensure the success of crucial maintenance projects, ultimately contributing to safer, more durable roads and better outcomes for the community.?