The unseasonably wintry weather earlier this month and last left many local roads in a terrible state. Mike Balfour reports.
Report
[Slug] Ora-dong, Jeju City
On many of Jeju’s streets the results of a cold winter are evident. On road surfaces cracks are visible.
Potholes and craters have also appeared.
It looks like a bombed area in miniature..
In another location potholes and fragments of asphalt fragments litter the road.
Vehicles rattle and shake negotiating the holes and debris.
Drivers struggle to avoid the obstacles.
INTERVIEW Oh Man-cheol / Resident of Hwabuk-dong, Jeju City There are a lot of potholes. It’s a really bumpy ride...the roads are not being properly maintained. <인터뷰: 오만철 / 제주시 화북동> "패인 곳이 많아요. 차들이 운행을 하다 보면 흔들리는 정도가 심하잖아요. 도로가 지금 제대로 돼 있지 않은 것 같아요."
Water from melting snow seeps into cracks in the pavement. When the temperature drops below zero, the water freezes and expands, exerting pressure on the pavement. It widens the cracks, and when the temperature rises above freezing, the ice thaws, allowing the water to seep further into the cracks.
As this process of freezing and thawing repeats, the pavement begins to weaken and eventually breaks apart.
[slug] Potholes can cause car accidents
Ice melt including calcium chloride exacerbates the problem. Vehicle snow chains eat away the pavement.
Potholes increase the potential for accidents.
Drivers may swerve quickly or suddenly stop to avoid the potholes.
INTERVIEW Jang Yu-ri / Korea Road Traffic Authority Drivers should drive slowly and keep a safe distance from the car in front because other vehicles could make abrupt stops on the rough roads. <인터뷰: 장유리 / 도로교통공단 교수> "도로 상태를 정확히 확인하지 못할 경우 돌발 상황이 발생할 수 있기 때문에 속도를 줄여주시고 안전거리를 확보해 주셔야 합니다."
Days of snowfall and waves of cold have left local roads in a bad way.
[Reporter] Mike Balfour [Camera] Kim Seung-cheol
And the potholes and broken pavement could be a threat to drivers.
