Maintaining our roads, verges and vegetation

On this page you can also apply to:

What you'll find on this page:

1. Footpath and road repairs
2. Vegetation control
3. Grass maintenance
4. Weed spraying

Unsealed roads

There are around 705km of unsealed roads in the DCC area. Most of these roads carry fewer than 100 vehicles a day.

Dust suppression

Dust suppression is typically undertaken in late November/early December on a list of roads approved by Council.

We don’t usually apply dust suppressant on unsealed roads. However, if you think there is a need for it, contact us or submit a Fix It form and we will assess the situation. Applications of dust suppression in these cases will consist of a 100-metre application on the road or roads adjacent to the property that requested it.

Please get your request for dust suppression into the DCC no later than 1 September of each year, so we can schedule the application of suppressant for the following summer period.

If you do not wish to have the dust suppressant applied outside your property, let us know and we will discuss your concerns.

Potholes

Potholes are more common in damp weather where the road is flat, there’s a hollow, or corrugation.

To reduce the number of potholes, roads are shaped with a grader, so the water flows to the sides of the road.

Gravel and grading

Our gravel roads are inspected every month. The road surface should remain in good condition after grading, depending on weather conditions, topography, traffic volumes and driver behaviour.

Roads which carry higher volumes of heavy traffic, such as logging trucks and milk tankers, can have increased wear.

Our maintenance includes regular grading and new gravel when needed.

About 30,000 cubic metres of new gravel is applied to unsealed roads each year. Roads with higher traffic volumes are re-gravelled and graded more regularly.

State highways

If you’re concerned about the length of the grass alongside a state highway and the area concerned has a speed limit higher than 50km per hour, you’ll need to contact Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (link to external website, new window), as they are responsible for maintenance of state highways, and the land alongside them.

Grass maintenance on DCC's road reserves areas

The DCC establishes different standards for maintaining various grass areas, with the aim being the health and safety of road users and facilities. This includes reducing hazards of obscuring sight lines and access in the transport network – not for cosmetic standards.

The DCC identifies three main types of grass-cutting:

Type 1 - verges/berms, traffic islands and other high-profile sites

The frequency of maintenance for these types of areas is approximately three weeks per service during the growing season.

Type 2 - difficult locations to mow

The land shape of these locations usually doesn’t allow a mower, e.g., steep slopes or an awkward location, which is why a lot of these are cut using weed eaters. These sites are maintained as low-frequency mowing and will only cut for sight line or access and around site perimeters. The frequency of maintenance for this type is approximately eight to ten weeks per service during the growing season.

Type 3 - low profile areas

These are low-profile areas that are only maintained to reduce hazards such as sight lines or access. The frequency of maintenance for this type is approximately two times annually.

Spraying weeds and controlling noxious plants

The DCC undertakes routine roadside spraying to clear weeds from footpaths, kerbs and channels of sealed roads, which are treated with an approved herbicide.

The DCC also controls identified noxious plants – which are identified and listed by the Otago Regional Council (ORC) – on the road reserve and verges. These noxious plants are treated with an approved Brushkiller. We control these plants without harm to adjacent plants.

Getting on the no-spray list

The DCC currently has a list of properties where our contractors do not spray, on the property owners’ request. We accept no-spray applications for people who would like to carry out vegetation control by themselves on the road reserve, to avoid their adjacent road frontage being sprayed with herbicides by a DCC contractor.

To be considered for the no-spray list, please note that:

• The routine vegetation control at this road frontage is the responsibility of the adjacent property owner. The road frontage means the road reserve area between the road edge and the adjacent property boundary, including the footpath, grass berm, the kerb and channel.
• The adjacent property owner controls vegetation, including weeds, noxious, pest plants, moss, lichen etc., to reduce risk to users and the footpath surface.
• In areas where maintenance work is to be carried out on or near the roadway and at risk from moving traffic the owner will need to engage a suitably qualified contractor to ensure this work can be carried out in accordance with DCC’s safety and traffic management requirements.

If the vegetation at this road frontage is not controlled by the property owner/occupier and causes problems, the DCC may arrange to remove the property from the no-spray list. Then our contractor will maintain that area by using herbicides.

The Council will undertake a regular review of those who are included on the no-spray lis.

If you want to join the no-spray list fill out the online form.

If you want to be removed from the no-spray list, please contact us in one of the following ways:

• In person at Dunedin City Council, Customer Service Centre
• By phone on 03 477 4000
• By email Transport@dcc.govt.nz