Condition of Notts roads ‘in top 25 per cent of country’, figures show

Figures released by the Department for Transport suggest that just two per cent of the county’s 309 miles of council-run A roads were judged to be in need of maintenance - equating to 6.2 miles.

Road inspections were carried out in the 12 months to March 2018.

The examinations, done by scanner machines and human inspection, identify sections of road worn by use or affected by ruts, bumps or potholes.

In the previous 12 months, one per cent of A roads, or 3.1 miles, required maintenance.

The data also shows that four per cent of the B and C roads were in need of work.

Representatives from the council say it will always act on the “number one concern for residents” and improve conditions of the roads when notified.

Councillor John Cottee, highways chairman at the council, said: “We are committed to a long-term approach to improving the condition of our 2,774 mile road network. “We know that potholes and the condition of our county’s highways are the number one concern for residents and we’ve listened.

“We have widely-publicised that we are investing an extra £20m, focused on local residential roads.

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“Historical gaps in funding have resulted in an estimated backlog of £143m of works. We acknowledge we can’t solve every problem, but the extra funding and our approach to make the’ right repair at the right time’ will make a significant difference to roads which have been neglected over the last few years.

“This DfT report highlights that while 2 per cent of our A roads are in need of repair, the national average is 3 per cent, which puts in the top 25 per cent, so we’re in better position than most other counties.”

Unclassified roads, small lanes used for local traffic, also required repairs, with 21 per cent in need of maintenance.

In total, there are 2,774 miles of roads in Nottinghamshire, with roads in Nottingham city deemed as the worst in the East Midlands.

The highway inspections use a classification called the Road Condition Indicator. This categorises a road as green, amber or red, based on ruts and bumps.

If a part of a route is branded red it should be checked more regularly as it is likely to require maintenance.

The figures also show that road conditions are better than they were five years ago, when three per cent of Nottinghamshire‘s A roads were likely to be in need of repair.

The condition of unclassified roads has declined, as from April 2012 to March 2013 18 per cent of minor roads required improvement.

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Coun Cottee added: “Since many of our roads were built, the volume of traffic on all types of roads and the weight of the vehicles using them has increased far beyond their original design, further accelerating deterioration. This is an issue for all local authorities.

“We repaired more than 115,000 potholes last year – double the amount compared with the same period the previous year.

“Early intervention extends the life of the road, which means that we don’t always prioritise roads that are in the worst condition. In fact, the cost to repairing a road in very poor or failed condition can be up to 12 times the cost of undertaking timely repairs of one where preventative maintenance is carried out.

“We recently announced that we are investing a further £1.75m in new pothole-filling technology.

“This is to save more money further down the line while improving the quality of road repairs, increasing productivity and extending the life expectancy of our roads.”