Defects on Doncaster East’s Deep Creek Drive, four months after $178K council resurfacing job

Residents in a Doncaster East street were outraged when the council splashed cash on a new white surfaced road, designed to reduce road heat. Now, four months on, it looks like that cash has been wasted.

Leanne White (left) and Clarke Stevenson are unhappy with the white resurfacing of Deep Creek Drive Picture: Hamish Blair

Ratepayers in Melbourne’s east have forked out close to $180,000 for a white surface in a suburban street — only for it peel four months after it was laid.

Manningham Council splashed the cash in April for the new surface, CoolSeal, after it identified Doncaster East’s Deep Creek Drive as one of its hottest roads.

The works, done by contractor SuperSealing for $178,000, angered residents who claimed they weren’t consulted beforehand and the ‘off-white’ colour of the road showed tyre marks, dirt and increased glare for drivers.

The surface has now started to peel off outside two homes, and sets of tyre tracks have been spotted on a corner of the winding street, four months after the job was done.

Resident Clarke Stevenson said he suspected three cars had slid off the surface when he noticed skid marks three weeks ago after heavy rain.

Deep Creek Drive residents Clarke Stevenson and Leanne White are unhappy with the white resurfacing of their street, which cost $178,000. Picture: Hamish Blair

He said the tight bend had become a safety hazard and called on the council to investigate traffic calming measures.

“We were assured by the contractor that it was better in terms of grip,” he said.

“But all the people around here drive fancy cars and think they’re Fangio, and they’re speeding around the corners.”

Mr Stevenson, who also raised his concerns at the council’s meeting on Tuesday, August 25, said the expensive surface was peeling off the road and looked “unsightly”.

“You’d think for the amount of money they spent, they would have been able to do a reasonable job of getting it right,” he said.

The council’s director of city services, Rachelle Quattrocchi, said SuperSealing had been notified of the road’s defects.

Ms Quattrocchi said the council had also raised its concerns about “inadequate skid resistance in wet conditions” with the contractor, which had committed to repairing the roads when weather permitted.

“Council will ensure all existing traffic safety measures on Deep Creek Drive are in order and will continue to monitor and review the road to determine if further treatment measures are

required,” she said.

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