Unsealed Road Maintenance Patrol Grading Program
The Mount Barker District Council is responsible for maintaining approximately 434kms of unsealed road networks across the district.
Of those 434kms there are approximately 70kms of limited access tracks, commonly known as fire tracks.
Every year unsealed roads and limited access tracks are patrol inspected and maintained at regular intervals in accordance with its classification within the Council’s Transport Asset Management Plan.
Council generally only grade roads when grading is required. The standard service level for a unsealed road, that is not a limited access track, is two inspections per year which may result in unsealed patrol grading maintenance works.
If through inspection it has been identified that road degradation has occurred earlier than expected, the road will be re-prioritised in the patrol grading program, subject to a risk assessment, and other work priorities.
The nature of these works being dependent on multiple factors does mean the program can be subject to change when weather conditions change, and other operational priorities arise.
All endeavors will be made to ensure minimum disruption to road users during times of patrol grading work, and signage will be used to advise local road users.
It is strongly encouraged by Council that road users use alternative routes when patrol grading works are underway, if available, and reminded to drive to the condition of the road. Road users are requested to adhere to any road detours that may be in place.
Regular updates on the program are posted on Council's Facebook page.
Maintenance Patrol Grading Zones and Map
There are eight maintenance zones throughout the district. Each zone is inspected as part of the patrol grading program, where inspections typically start in the southern zones (starting in zone 8) and end up finishing in the northern zones (ending in zone 1) two times per year.
To see a full list of unsealed roads located in each maintenance zone, click on the drop-down arrows below.
Click on the image to view larger version
What is maintenance patrol grading?
Maintenance Patrol Grading is the process of trimming and shaping an unsealed road to correct defects on the road surface using existing material in the road corridor.
Unsealed roads are patrol graded until it is identified that the road asset requires patch-grading or road re-sheeting in order to restore the road to its former glory. This is determined by site inspections performed by Council's Infrastructure and Maintenance and Operations teams in accordance with the road classification in Council's Transport Asset Management Plan.
Patch-grading is the process of filling or repairing defects in an unsealed road surface with small quantities of new or reworked road making material and may occur as part of the grading of a road.
Road re-sheeting is the spreading, shaping and compaction of an unsealed road with new quarry material to a depth usually of at least 150mm compacted thickness.
Why does Council maintenance patrol grade unsealed roads?
Unsealed roads are formed and constructed using a limestone quarried material which can become deteriorated overtime due to the environment (wet and dry weather), as well as the volumes and types of vehicle traffic.
Grading is an important part of preventative maintenance and improves the quality and longevity of a unsealed road. It reduces bumps and corrugations in the road surface and reforms the crossfall in the centre of the road to prevent water pooling in the road after rain events that can cause the road to deteriorate and soften that can increase the likelihood of potholing.
The role of maintenance patrol grading is to maintain the road shape, drainage and improve smoothness, but not change the overall structure of the unsealed road.
How do I report the condition of an unsealed road to Council?
If you need to report the condition of an unsealed road located within the Mount Barker District Council boundary, please send your concerns to Council’s email address at council@mountbarker.sa.gov.au or telephone Customer Service on (08) 8391 7200.
Once your enquiry has been received by Council, it will be directed to the Infrastructure Maintenance and Operations Department to conduct a road inspection as per the Maintenace Patrol Grading Program.