Record £83.6 million Government funding for roads
Devon County Council has welcomed a record £83.6 million “early Christmas present” from the Government for road repairs.
The funding of £83,640,000 for Devon is the largest share of a record £1.6 billion investment announced by the Government today (Friday 20 December) to fill potholes and repair roads.
An extensive repair programme using this latest funding will be compiled over the next couple of months to help tackle the highway maintenance backlog on Devon’s 8,000 mile road network, which is currently in excess of £200 million. The funding will be used to prioritise extensive surfacing, patching and other preventative maintenance, as well as drainage improvements.
Devon has already embarked on a recovery programme of patching and surfacing through the County Council’s own £12 million investment earlier this year. The benefit from that work is already being felt and since April, more than 55,000 square metres of road have been patched at around 790 sites across the county. These repairs have targeted sections of road which are deteriorating, patching areas before potholes form.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “This announcement from the Government is an excellent early Christmas present and it’s great news for everyone in Devon. This is a significant increase in funding for our roads and, following on from the additional £12 million Devon County Council invested in this current financial year, it will help us continue at pace with our efforts to tackle the repair backlog on our roads and protect the travelling public.
“We have to remember that Devon has the biggest road network of any authority in the country, and our highways maintenance backlog is increasing by £15 million a year. Unfortunately that means this money still won’t be enough to make the condition of our roads anywhere near perfect, but it is more in line with the kind of funding we need consistently to stop the decline and help make a difference in getting our road network up to scratch.
“We can assure the Government that we will get best value from this funding to target pothole repairs and other preventative maintenance to stop potholes from forming in the first place.”
The UK Government says the funding will help councils across the country fix the equivalent of seven million potholes. It has also stated it will hold back 25% of the funding uplift until authorities have shown that they are delivering preventative maintenance.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Potholes have plagued motorists for far too long, but today’s record investment will start to reverse a decade of decline on our country’s roads.
“Millions will drive home for Christmas today, but too many will have to endure an obstacle course to reach their loved ones. Potholes damage cars, and make pedestrians and cyclists less safe. We are investing £1.6bn to fix up to seven million more potholes next year.
“This government is firmly on the side of drivers. Every area of England will get extra cash to tackle this problem once and for all.”
Road users can report potholes and other problems on Devon’s roads via the County Council’s website at https://www.devon.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/report-a-problem/
Gallery
