Pothole on Alexander Dr, Nerang shaking bumpers loose, denting wheels and flattening tyres

Motorists forced to plough vehicles through a big pothole scarring a Gold Coast road have reported lost bumpers, banged up rims, flat tyres and possible suspension damage.

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MOTORISTS forced to plough vehicles through a huge pothole scarring a Gold Coast road have reported lost bumpers, banged up rims, flat tyres and possible suspension damage.

Coast resident Luke Sorensen snapped photos of the void in the road on Alexander Dr at Nerang and sent them to the Bulletin on Tuesday afternoon, amid chatter on social media.

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A car runs through the pothole. Picture: Luke Sorensen

He said Gold Coast City Council workers patched the hole about 11.30am on Tuesday “but it had already been patched a week or so ago in the last rain event, and that patch had not worked evidently”.

“Multiple people (are) losing tyres and even busting rims in it. Could be in the hundreds over last 48 hours or so,” he said.

“(It) first appeared late on Sunday, by this morning it was huge and deep, catching so many drivers out.

The pothole on Alexander Dr at Nerang. Picture: Luke Sorensen

“Every time a car hit it the sound of crunching plastic bumpers, metal and suspension was awful.”

Social media posts spoke about the damage caused by the pothole and some complained they could not see the damaged part of the road because it was filled with water.

Drivers were also finding their vehicle’s alignment had been knocked severely out of whack.

Drivers have complained the pothole is tough to see in wet weather. Picture: Luke Sorensen

The council was asked whether the pothole had been fixed and whether ratepayers could expect the repairs to last longer this time.

Additionally, the council was asked whether vehicle owners could potentially claim compensation and whether there was concerns the pothole could lead to a serious crash, particularly one involving a motorbike.

A council spokesperson said: “Our dedicated crews work to keep the City’s roads safe all year round – including during severe weather events.”

“The maintenance team has undertaken temporary repairs to this pothole on multiple occasions in recent weeks. However due to the wet weather, we have been unable to undertake long-term treatment of the pothole as this requires dry conditions,” a statement read.

“Warning signs have been installed to advise motorists of the hazard. The preferred treatment will occur tomorrow (Thursday, April 8), weather permitting.”

The council urged the public to report pothole or road damage considered to be dangerous or affecting traffic movement by phoning 07 5667 5974.

Residential road repairs slashed by council

February 2: The Gold Coast City Council plans to save at least $400 million in the next 20 years by not upgrading some residential roads and putting suburban streets on a lower repair rating.

Shock findings in a confidential report reveals the average age of the city’s road surfaces is reaching 17 years, just three years off their life expectancy of 20.

A pothole on the Gold Coast Highway at Broadbeach. Picture: Sarah Marshall.

“Large portions of the city’s road assets are approaching the end of their useful lives and significant increases in capital renewal funding will be required to maintain public safety and current levels of service,” the report says.

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Councillors are concerned about being asked to tick off on budget savings, and they have asked for a further report before making a final decision, possibly as early as April.

Council officers recently completed an audit of the city’s 3237km of ageing road network, and tracked the slide in the pavement condition index (PCI) which looks at defects.

A Gold Coast City Council report on roads highlights the challenges ahead.

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While the PCI was as high as nine in 2000, it has almost dropped to eight. Worse still, there were wide differences on categories of roads, with the higher important arterial transport links averaging as low a rating as 6.6 compared to 8.5 for residential streets.

Arterial and sub-arterial roads account for about 218km while residential access and collector roads amount to 2268km.

The council report shows the rapid growth in the city.

“To manage risk appropriately, it would be expected that higher order roads should be maintained in a better average condition as compared to lower order roads as they typically involve high traffic volumes and higher vehicle speeds,” the report says.

The challenge was the Coast, unlike Sydney and Melbourne, had grown so fast in a short time.

The plan is to split the level of service with less on residential roads with the drop-off in repairs likely to be “largely unnoticeable to the general public”.

Flood damage in the Gold Coast Hinterland. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

The result would mean the council retained its current forward planning projects rather than have to significantly increase budgets across the next 10 years.

“This proposed adjustment to the levels of service is estimated to save the city approximately $400 million over the forward 20-year forecast by not having to maintain lower order roads to the same level of service as higher order roads,” the report says.

In response to questions from the Bulletin, the council said $24.3 million would be spent on the Road Rehab and Reseal Program in 2020-21 and $15.5 million on the Road Reconstruction Program for the same period.

Gold Coast roads and the capital works program by council. The amounts for future years have been removed from a committee report.

The amounts for the four-year capital works programs through to 2023-24 have been removed from the report. Council declined to provide those figures.

The Bulletin asked if it was the council’s intention to save the city money by not maintaining lower order roads, and were their plans to increase the service to arterial roads.

“There is no intention to change the current level of service for higher order roads. The city will continue to maintain lower order roads to an appropriate level of service,” the spokesperson said.