From both sides of the pothole

Potholes are one of the most temper-raising topics on the island and, in rainy weather, they seem to mushroom, often pushing drivers' patience to the limit.

Drivers last month may have experienced the bumpy rides, the water-disguised holes and, in the case of the less fortunate, the untimely punctures.

Recent statistics released by the Meteorological Office showed that last month, the second wettest January in the last 83 years, our roads were pelted by rain for 22 days during which 215.9 mm of rain fell.

It is no wonder that several roads became plagued with potholes which drivers try to swerve around to avoid damage. Yet, despite their efforts, sometimes damage is done.

One driver recalled driving round a bend and straight into a pothole. "The car stopped immediately and started knocking and making a grinding sound. Initially I assumed it was a puncture but, after seeing that the wheels were fine, I got back into the car and realised that the gears where not responding."

A mechanic said that, although extensive damage is the exception, rainy weather brings with it an increase in punctured tyres and bent rims mainly caused when people drive their cars into concealed holes.

Another driver described her car's wheels as "practically triangular" due to the number of times she has driven through these hidden crevices.

"I drive through the same roads on a regular basis and tend to memorise the location of potholes in order to avoid them. Then they are repaired and I forget about them.

"But when it rains again they come apart again and get filled with water. So, having forgotten about them, I sometimes end up driving into one. It can be very frustrating."

RMF managing director Patrick Rausi said he too has noticed an increase in breakdowns and incidents due to the weather conditions.

"Apart from causing the inconvenience of punctures there is also the safety factor and the congestion caused by stalled cars.

"It's the same roads every year and it's about time that, instead of filling the same old pot holes year in year out, the roads are redone safely. Something has to be done urgently," he said.

Road builders

Why is it that many of our roads are plagued with potholes? Why is it that, year after year, it's the same roads that give way and what are the authorities doing about the situation?

The Times went to the Network Infrastructure Directorate (NID), within the Malta Transport Authority, to try to get some answers.

There, NID director Heinrich Semar explained: "Here at NID we are also road users. I want to make it clear that we don't like potholes either and are working hard to minimise them. It's important that people first understand why we are in this situation."

A substantial number of Maltese roads date back to the times of British rule and were built with techniques and materials that had a short life span.

Apart from the problem of the very make-up of the road, NID faces other problems such as overflow amplified by households illegally connected to the drainage system.

Architect John Demicoli, the manager of NID's Maintenance Unit, explained that at every rainfall NID staff identify problem areas and, on a break in weather, field officers assist contractors distributed on various regions.

Contractors are asked to work in challenging conditions. They use cold asphalt on holes which is not ideal as it tends to crumble easily when in contact with water. But this material has to be used as holes have to be filled immediately to minimise danger on the road, Mr Demicoli said.

"Ideally we'd use hot asphalt - a material that is more homogeneous and water-tight - but hot asphalt is not immediately available as its preparation takes time."

Other interventions are made at a later stage according to priorities and finances available.

"We have 2,200 kilometres of road and you can't change that with a snip. There is a lot of work and planning involved," Prof. Semar said.

That is why NID has developed a programme of works that extends to 2013.

Apart from working on the reconstruction of roads, such as the 16 kilometres built last year under the Italian Protocol and which have a 25-year lifespan, NID has also come up with intermediate steps to suit the road user. These fall within the ridability programme.

Roads built under this programme, which have a 10-year lifespan, are scarified and then hot asphalt is laid. "The philosophy is that, as we increase roads' ridability, the potholes will decrease but it does not come with the click of a finger," he said snapping his fingers.

The general target, he said, is to have all roads built according to specifications. NID is determined to abide by standards and one clear example is Glormu Cassar Avenue, in Valletta, which is to be resurfaced, at the contractor's expense, as it is not up to standard.

Information box

¤ Money collected through registration tax and the payment of road licences go into the country's consolidated fund, a portion of which is allocated to roads during the annual Budget.

¤ Lm7 million were allocated to roads for 2006 during the last Budget.

¤ Funds from the EU include another Lm12 million for roads for 2006.

¤ Repair works are funded from the allocated budget.

¤ The liability of contractors assigned road works can vary from two to five years on roads that fall under the ridability programme.