Looking after our roads

Over time, our roads can become damaged. We work with our contractors, Volker Highways to get them back to a good standard as soon as possible.

To carry out the road improvement work, there will be disruptions. This may include:

• temporary traffic lights 
• closures

We always aim to keep disruptions to a minimum. We try to avoid peak times when most people may be travelling to work or school. This may involve our team working overnight if we think the works are particularly disruptive.

Making tough choices to keep everyone safe

Like all local authorities, we face huge financial challenges to protect vital services and keep all residents safe and well. We get less Government funding per resident than any other unitary authority, and about £30million per year below average.

To best use our limited resources, we've decided this year to fully resurface fewer roads so we can extend the life of more roads in other ways. 

Our top priority is keeping residents safe, so we continually inspect roads and footways. As part of our annual road maintenance programme, we resurface or treat the roads that need attention the most.

Our trained officers assess the risk of any defects against criteria set out in our highway maintenance management plan. Not all defects pose an immediate risk, and we'll carry out repairs as required to comply with our statutory duty.

How we know which roads need repairs

We are continually checking the condition of our roads using

• Technical surveys
• Visual inspections
• Technical assessments and analysis

We then use this information to make our annual road maintenance programme.

Sometimes, issues with the roads happen that we can’t plan for, but need to be fixed. This could be a pothole appearing, or damage due to an accident.  

For planned work, we focus on getting the best long-term value for money. We consider over a much longer term all the roads in the borough in relation to one another when deciding which ones to maintain or repair first. Find out more about asset management in our Highways Maintenance Management Plan.

Noise and road works

During daytime working hours, noisy works will be undertaken between 8am to 6pm. 

Sometimes we carry out work at night, when noisy works will start at 8pm and will finish by midnight. After this time, works will still continue through the night, but this will be less noisy. 

We must make sure our workers are safe, so as well as noise from the works, vehicle safety features such as reverse warning beeps and flashing lights will also be used as appropriate.

Site supervisors will take noise readings throughout the night to make sure levels are within the required threshold. If you have concerns regarding the noise levels please speak to the site supervisor.

Advice for motorists

• Be safety aware, follow signs and instructions from site operatives.
• Do not drive on newly laid surface until it has had time to dry.
• Pay attention to advisory signs and do not park on the road when signs request you not to.
• Keep to the temporary speed limits and avoid sharp turns to allow the surface to stabilise.
• Check your shoes (and your pet’s paws) before entering your home or car. Bitumen stains can be removed with cleaner.
• Accesses to businesses will be protected. Temporary floor covering is recommended in shops and offices.