HIGHWAYS chiefs are to spend another £120,000 rebuilding a York road where an experimental resurfacing technique ended in failure.

City of York Council resurfaced Tranby Avenue, Osbaldwick, in 2006, using a new “crack and seat” method, which involved cracking the concrete base before laying new bitumen, in the hope it would grip better.

The method was used to reduce costs and act as a trial for its possible use on other roads in the York area.

But workmen had to return in 2008 and again last summer to carry out repairs after the surface became uneven for cyclists and other road users.

An assessment of the road in the summer revealed that one of the five sections is in a poor condition, and it is now due to be reconstructed again before April.

A council spokesman said further sections of the road would be re-constructed “as and when necessary”.

He said: “The ‘crack and seat’ technique trialled on this stretch of road did not work as well as hoped and has not been used again in this context.

“We apologise to residents for any inconvenience caused.”

Mark Warters, chairman of Osbaldwick Parish Council, said he estimated the new works would take the total expenditure on putting the “botched” road scheme right to about £200,000 so far.

He said: “This experimental, supposed money-saving technique was a complete disaster, with large sections of the road exhibiting complete structural failure within a few months of the works.”

He said the parish questioned whether it was cost-effective to now continue repairs on a piecemeal basis, and it had asked in September for the road to be completely reconstructed along its full length, so the problems could be rectified once and for all.

“Anything less than this radical solution runs the risk of an ongoing financial repair commitment,” he said.

He said the parish also felt Tranby Avenue residents deserved an explanation and unreserved apology, as they would suffer further disruption and inconvenience.