Why do they always dig up the road?

Del2005

Just thinking when out driving that whenever they lay new pipes or new estates they always dig up the middle of the road. Why do they dig here if there is a big footpath and grass verge beside the road?

It just seem silly to spend loads of money on a road and then dig it up when a couple of meters away there is a patch of grass or concrete where it would be cheaper and easier to dig and return to the same standard as before.

Or if they insist on digging the road up why aren't they forced, I know they're supposed to, to return the road to the same condition as before ie fully resurfaced and not a crap strip of tar in the middle of the road that has subsidised before they finish and then proceeds to become full of pot holes the first time it rains.

G_R

because that would be too much like common sense......come on....this is ireland after all...

Captain Chaos

Simple pipe in the middle of the road serves both sides of the street to branch off of. If they had to put pipes under the paths it would cost more as you'd need twice the amount of pipe for a given street, and it would take longer to do as you need to dig up more ground, need more guys and equipment.

Think of the logistics people, the Irish thnig to do would be to dig up the paths on both side of the street.

Del2005

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Simple pipe in the middle of the road serves both sides of the street to branch off of. If they had to put pipes under the paths it would cost more as you'd need twice the amount of pipe for a given street, and it would take longer to do as you need to dig up more ground, need more guys and equipment.

If you lay the pipe on one side of the road or the middle of the road, then you'll need the same amount of pipe to reach both sides of the road only one side will be longer then the other.

Think of the logistics people, the Irish thnig to do would be to dig up the paths on both side of the street.

And whats wrong with digging up the footpaths, I'm sure they cost a hell of a lot less to lay and replace/repair then any type of road?

Irjudge1

All credit to generalisations but quite often if you are laying a new service in an existing road the verge and the footpath will already have services located within them. The quickest and cheapest option or in some cases the only option is to lay in the carriageway.

If you consider in most housing estates that there is, watermain (on both sides), foul sewage, surface water drainage, ESB medium voltage and low voltage, Gas, Telecoms and cable ducts. If there is something new going in space can be at a premium.

On public roads High Voltage power cables are often laid in the middle of the carriageway so it is isolated from other services. Thus in the event of works being carried out on other services the risk of hitting the High Voltage Cables are reduced.

I agree that the local authorities do not do enough to enforce reinstatement. It would appear to me that the money held by the local authority for reinstatement disappears into a budgetary black hole.

Del2005

Irjudge1 wrote: »

All credit to generalisations but quite often if you are laying a new service in an existing road the verge and the footpath will already have services located within them. The quickest and cheapest option or in some cases the only option is to lay in the carriageway.

If you consider in most housing estates that there is, watermain (on both sides), foul sewage, surface water drainage, ESB medium voltage and low voltage, Gas, Telecoms and cable ducts. If there is something new going in space can be at a premium.

On public roads High Voltage power cables are often laid in the middle of the carriageway so it is isolated from other services. Thus in the event of works being carried out on other services the risk of hitting the High Voltage Cables are reduced.

I agree that the local authorities do not do enough to enforce reinstatement. It would appear to me that the money held by the local authority for reinstatement disappears into a budgetary black hole.

Thanks, forgot about all the other stuff already laid.