How to Build a Street

Potholes

Road making and remaking is never ending. At the turn of the twentieth century, Sydney’s roads were either woodblocked or macadamised. And, after a decade of depression and low spending during the 1890s, many were badly deteriorated. Asphalt was already widely used in many cities, but not in Sydney. An asphalt road making plant was built by the Council in 1929, but the Depression and a world war which followed hotly on its heels, meant that Council was unable to embark upon major expenditure and upgrades of roads until the late 1940s. Potholes were a common hazard on Sydney streets.

Road hazard

The back streets were always the worst. Carrying light traffic only, they were the lowest priority for maintenance and upkeep. Park Road, Camperdown in c.1909 was one such road. A wooden barricade with a kerosene lamp attached is intended to bar access from the road into the roughly surfaced laneway. A horse and cart rapidly approaches the road hazard.

(image: City of Sydney Archives, CRS 51/256)

Road hazard
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Vandals of the road

The roads were being constantly dug up and repaired by City Council workers. But other authorities also had the right to dig up the roads, causing traffic chaos and pedestrian frustration. Aside from major disturbances caused by the laying of tramtracks, the roads were routinely opened up by the gas company, the government works department, and later the Water and Sewerage Board and the Hydraulic Power Company – all of which resulted in a deterioration of the surfaces. Newspapers regularly complained about the inconvenience caused by these “road-wreckers”.

(image: Daily Guardian, 11 November 1927)

Vandals of the road
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Where’s the horse?

This hole devoured a coal dray in Phillip Street (facing Marriott Street on the border of Redfern and Waterloo) when the road collapsed unexpectedly, 12 April 1918. A bit of the dray can still be seen in the immense hole. But whatever happened to the poor horse?

(image: City of Sydney Archives, CRS 80/20)

Bent Street, c.1880
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Watch your step

This hole, which appeared in Sussex Street in June 1955, was approximately 12 foot deep. The old woodblocked road can be seen beneath a thin layer of tar.

(image: City of Sydney Archives, CRS 48/244)

Watch your step
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Occupational hazard

Holes of wondrous dimensions were not confined to the early years of road building. A Council street sweeper vehicle disappears into a hole in O’Riordan Street, Alexandria, 24 June 1963.

(City of Sydney Archives, CRS 48/3466)

Occupational hazard
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Little does he know

The City Engineer’s Department was responsible for the making and upkeep of roads and over the years they copped a lot of flack. They kept their sense of humour, circulating photographs, cartoons and mocked-up memos amongst the staff. Here the new pedestrian buttons take on a more menacing quality. The location is in Redfern, which was part of the city 1948-69, 1982-88. The man leaning against the pole is Tom McDonald, once employee of the City, later Operations Manager at South Sydney Council. A colleague attached a caption to it: “Little does he know that when I press this button the roadway will collapse.”

(image: City Engineer’s Department scrapbook, Private Collection.)

Little does he know
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City of Sydney