Highway engineers more used to grappling with rutting, cracking, edge deterioration and even major collapses in their rural roads have been confronted with a new phenomenon, ‘sideways creep’.
Divisional engineer Graham Mallott advised Cambridgeshire’s Fenland area committee this week that an apparent widening of a resurfaced stretch of a Fenland road is largely an illusion. Contractor Ringway reversed years of encroachment on the highway by soil and vegetation that had narrowed it significantly in parts.
The ‘perceived sideways creep’ was down to a combination of this regained carriageway, good compaction, and uniform colour. He also asked members to recognise the difficulty in significantly strengthening a road over peat soil without adding weight.