Photo: Facebook
About 50 drivers in Australia have suffered considerable damage to their cars after a road in north Queensland melted and bitumen coated the wheels.
The incident happened last week, after a heatwave followed a spell of cold and wet weather, the Australian ABC reports. The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) says that all drivers will be compensated, following a case-by-case analysis of the damage sustained.
However, the TMR stops short of admitting that the recent works on the road were not done properly. According to reports, the road had been resurfaced, but following complaints of gravel flying about and breaking windshields and lights, authorities intervened to sweep it away.
Hot weather followed suit, and the remaining gravel didn’t adhere to the bitumen, which, in turn, made the bitumen stick to the wheels of the passing cars. In other words, the asphalt literally melted and cars were covered in goo.
As complaints started coming in, the TMR had to close down the Malanda Millaa Millaa Road for urgent repairs. About 50 cars were damaged while crossing the road, with drivers describing the experience as something out of a nightmare.
“I was absolutely horrified to find that there was three inches of bitumen coated around all four wheels of my vehicle,” Bridget Daley says. “There were people that were pulled up on the side of the road and they were in total and complete disbelief as to what had happened to their vehicles.”
She says the bitumen stuck to her mudguard and snapped it off. Another driver says their brand new car has been damaged considerably by the bitumen and flying gravel, calling the repair work a “disgrace.” The driver of an 18-wheeler swears on social media to have never seen anything like this, adding that the wheels of his vehicle had a 15-centimeter coating of bitumen and gravel by the time he came off the road.
TMR district director Sandra Burke says the situation was the result of a “combination of factors,” not one of which could have been prevented.
“We have extreme weather conditions on Malanda Millaa Millaa Road… unusually cold weather and wet weather combined with works at hand and the short impact of the hot weather yesterday caused the situation to occur,” Burke explains.
However, the TMR stops short of admitting that the recent works on the road were not done properly. According to reports, the road had been resurfaced, but following complaints of gravel flying about and breaking windshields and lights, authorities intervened to sweep it away.
Hot weather followed suit, and the remaining gravel didn’t adhere to the bitumen, which, in turn, made the bitumen stick to the wheels of the passing cars. In other words, the asphalt literally melted and cars were covered in goo.
As complaints started coming in, the TMR had to close down the Malanda Millaa Millaa Road for urgent repairs. About 50 cars were damaged while crossing the road, with drivers describing the experience as something out of a nightmare.
“I was absolutely horrified to find that there was three inches of bitumen coated around all four wheels of my vehicle,” Bridget Daley says. “There were people that were pulled up on the side of the road and they were in total and complete disbelief as to what had happened to their vehicles.”
She says the bitumen stuck to her mudguard and snapped it off. Another driver says their brand new car has been damaged considerably by the bitumen and flying gravel, calling the repair work a “disgrace.” The driver of an 18-wheeler swears on social media to have never seen anything like this, adding that the wheels of his vehicle had a 15-centimeter coating of bitumen and gravel by the time he came off the road.
TMR district director Sandra Burke says the situation was the result of a “combination of factors,” not one of which could have been prevented.
“We have extreme weather conditions on Malanda Millaa Millaa Road… unusually cold weather and wet weather combined with works at hand and the short impact of the hot weather yesterday caused the situation to occur,” Burke explains.
Google News