anonimouse

They started building a new road here 4 years ago, it is totally finished and has been for over 18 months That I know of, A few cars use it, is there a reason why they still have it blocked off even though its complete?

I find it most odd, anyone any ideas why they do this?

fionamw

No....but I'm guessing running out of funds figures highly in some way or other.

Dick Dasterdly

It seems to be very much a Spanish thing.

They by-passed a bottle neck of a village in TF, all completed to perfection, all that is except for the last few metres where it was to join onto the existing road.

It was still like that four years later when I left and I never found anyone who could give me a logical explanation.

JLFS

yes, it is done to piss the brits off.......:

Lynn R

They do it with streets around where I live, too. Two streets nearby were resurfaced with pebbles in pretty mosaic designs - except that the stretch that links up the two hasn't been touched, and it's been like that for 2 years now. Looks a bigger mess than when they started as a result. Likewise with the street I live on - was resurfaced except for the last bit which is the main entrance to/exit from the area, passing under an archway in the original town walls. That hasn't been touched since the original surface and steps were removed last August, and is like an obstacle course as a result. Meanwhile, they are working on restoring a "camarin" set into the walls where an image of the Virgin is displayed. Doesn't matter if people are falling over left, right and centre or struggling to get prams, wheelchairs, etc. up the slope, as long as the Virgin's shrine is spruced up!

The logic of it all (if there is any) defies me. How the funcionarios can come round with their cameras and clipboards, which they do regularly, and nod sagely as though it all looks fine is a total mystery. Is there some sort of equal opportunities legislation I don't know about that forces them to employ people with a visual impairment?

Domino

the street I live in is a patchwork quilt of sand, gravel, bit of concrete left over from something or other - the other end is a perfectly good piece of tarmac as are all the other roads in this part of the town.

They call it "funding" delays from the EU

Fredbargate

A main road near me was resurfaced ( major job not just a skim ) I assume due to the number of potholes however they never raised the manholes.
It's worse to drive on now than before.

rafikiphoto

I've always thought it is due to the contractor awaiting payment before making the road usable...

Bigger Jim

In the UK its called "Not yet adopted" and they can also wait for years!! Same stuff different country.

Jim

rspltd

Had to find something to spend all that lovely money on that the EU gave them (due to be £5bn this year).. Perhaps it will start up again now they've been given more.

amideislas

About 2 years ago they built a nice new road from Felanitx to Campos. Large enough for 100Km speed limit and passing lanes. Very nicely paved and smooth. Everybody used it until 6 months later, when they decided to resurface this brand new road. It was blocked off for 6 weeks for the resurfacing.

The only explantion I've been given so far is that the resurfacing project was paid for by the Spanish government to keep people working. "Economía Sostenible" (there were signs describing this all over the place).

Right, then. We can always raise taxes to pay for it, right? Surely that'll sustain the economy: Rob Peter to pay Paul to perform useless work that Peter doesn't want or need. Brilliant. Why didn't I think of that? Proves why I'd never make it in politics...

Sigh... and we wonder why we're in the shit we're in...

Domino

Every year Granada digs up perfectly good roads and pavements and relays them under Economia Sostenible. Just the city doesnt gain anything out of it, its perfectly good surfaces that are relaid, whilst the poor and bad are left.

perhaps the former are all the ones that are seen (and used) by the most people.

fionamw

Now don't ask me to get into Keynesian theory and macro economics etc., but the bit about digging holes to save the economy is a tried and tested one, so my finance-loving OH tells me. Where it falls down, of course, is in their choice of work. In my view they'd be better getting chain gangs (perhaps not literally) clearing the roadsides of everyone's litter, or mending manholes (as per Fred's) or turning roadsigns back to the right direction!!! Or, indeed, paving some roads that aren't yet paved - never mind re-surfacing brand new ones.

HBG

They have a wailing wall in Jerusalem, why shouldn't we?

Every time they tarmac my road, they demolish my concrete ramp that lets me drive over the pavement to park my car on the driveway. The reason I have this homemade ramp is because when I tried to get permission to lower the pavement at this point, the council wanted me to fill in a hundred forms to different departments at the town hall, and I refused.

The tarmacing has started again at the bottom of the street, but only outside a house owned by a town hall official. I suspect it won't come up the rest of the street.

Domino

that is where it fall into a hole (pun intended)councils may have a budget marked "maintenance" but that isnt what it is used for - instead it is used to bolster "main works",
the litter, mending manholes, turning signs round are all "maintenance" and should remain so.
but then so many schools are falling apart because they havent had "maintenance" in the same way as you would (we hope) would regularly paint, repair gutters etc etc. Councils rely on the building to last for the "lifetime" i.e. 20-25yrs + 10yrs. By then it has come round again to build another school to replace the first one, selling the land off for new housing to offset the capital budget for the new build. That is why PFI sudenly became so popular, they didnt have to maintain any more. Same applies to hospitals and any owned rather than rented building. Sometimes "Capital Expenditure" can attract larger tax rightoffs than "Maintenance", especially when 100% was allowed by govt to install "comfort cooling" i.e. aircon in buildings. I know a company that got £500,000 back, but never entered into a maintenance contract.

As to Keynsian theory, why not give it a punt on the PDT, it could prove interesting.........