Record levels of funding to be spent on fixing Nottinghamshire’s roads

As part of this, Nottinghamshire County Council will deliver a six-point plan to address the backlog of repairs and deteriorating condition of its highways network.

The new plan, which has been published as part of the Highways Capital and Revenue Programmes, includes:

·       Prevent problems early by treating roads sooner.

·       Carry out permanent repairs first-time wherever possible.

·       High quality fixes using longer-lasting materials and methods.

·       Improve efficiency and get better value from crews and equipment.

·       Strengthen winter resilience with extra crews working through the season for the first time.

·       Make the case for increased long-term funding from central government.

The investment package, a record level for Nottinghamshire, includes £82m for maintenance across roads, footways, drainage, structures and the 10 other asset types managed by the Council.

This sits alongside £8m for community-focused integrated transport schemes including pedestrian crossings and road safety improvements.

A £2 million programme of permanent repairs has already commenced, delivering improvements at urgent hotspots countywide.

Councillor Bert Bingham, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, said work on the wide-ranging highways programme will begin in April, which follows the recent announcement to carry out urgent repairs at [35] sites across the county.

He said: “Our major highways programme is the biggest ever in Nottinghamshire and one of the largest to be delivered by a local authority. This reaffirms our commitment to maintaining the roads in a serviceable condition and to the standards residents’ demand.

“We know many of our roads need work and the backlog of repairs is huge. The new six-point plan will provide a greater focus on preventative maintenance to stop

potholes forming, improved quality of repairs to avoid repeat work, and the use of more durable materials.

“As I have said before, we take this extremely seriously and it is our number one aim to get the roads into a good condition.

“We know how much residents want action, which is why we will continue to lobby Government ministers and EMCCA to secure the long-term funding needed get the roads into a state that is acceptable to the Nottinghamshire public. There is more good news in the pipeline”

The programme also includes several transport and infrastructure schemes such as road safety upgrades and the ongoing investment in major projects like the A614/A6097 junction improvements.

Council Leader, Cllr Mick Barton, said: “This is great news for residents, and we are really looking to prioritise preventative maintenance to stop potholes forming in the first place.

“Many roads will be resurfaced, and we will be carrying out permanent first-time repairs to improve the quality of work to make sure we don’t have to return to the site and do the job twice.

“Ten additional crews will be doing permanent repairs, while we’ll also be using two new JCB Pothole Pro machines to help us to get on top of the problem.

“The days of quick fixes will be coming to an end because we will be repairing roads with stronger methods and materials wherever we can.

“We’ll be announcing more good news throughout the summer months, so watch this space.”