Helping to keep Rarotonga moving
Pothole and Road Maintenance
We have set ambitious targets and allocated funds to maintain our roads. Our Civil Works team are working hard to meet them.
We understand potholes are a major headache for everyone. It impacts local economic performance and is a nuisance to taxpayers. It also affects motorists, damaging vehicles and causes injuries to passengers. ICI is working on improving our roads, repair work occurs around the island often while ensuring minimal disruption to motorists.
Apart from fixing potholes, ICI also undertake maintenance on the shoulders of the road and berms to ensure the surface water can run off the road and permeates or fills into the berm. What is a berm? Berms are small banks on the outside edge of roads and landings. They direct stormwater away from erosion-prone fills and slip faces to more stable ground. Water then goes to cut-outs and sediment traps.
What causes potholes?
It is easy to assume that potholes are formed due to roads being poorly maintained but that is not usually the case. There are many factors that can cause potholes.
Potholes are most commonly caused by water getting trapped on or under the surface of the roadway and traffic passing over the affected area. It is also related to poor drainage. It can vary in size and shape.
Pothole formation requires two factors to be present at the same time; water and traffic. Water weakens the soil beneath the pavement while traffic applies the loads that stress the pavement past the breaking point, which causes the road surface to crack or to sink.
ICI uses a variety of techniques to repair potholes depending on the nature and size of a road defect and the type of road. We are continuously introducing new technologies to fix potholes and supplement our traditional repair teams.
Report Potholes
We want everyone in the community to benefit from the highest possible level of service. The easiest way to report an issue is by using our online form to send a request for service directly to the ICI Helpdesk team for attention. If you want to make a Request for Service, please fill in your details below and we will respond to you within three working days. Request for Service can also include road repairs, road maintenance, culvert or drainage issues in your area.
Improving Our Roads
Lastly, ICI Civil Works Division is also responsible for the management of local road networks including road safety and road maintenance across Rarotonga and Pa Enua. ICI’s responsibility includes the planning, construction and maintenance of some of the roads within your area. It also involves monitoring the standard of these roads and undertaking repairs when required. It should be noted that the costs of maintaining roads can be significant and ICI Civil Works usually have to prioritize their scheduled road construction and maintenance projects.