Date published: 2024-03-18 | Category: Roads, travel and transport, Delivering for local residents
Work to resurface 92,000m2 of highway across Bath and North East Somerset, the equivalent of 352 tennis courts, has begun.
The council has set out its annual highway resurfacing programme for 2024-25 which will see 36 planned schemes undertaken this year. The full programme can be found on the council’s website.
The council has increased its investment into highway and footway maintenance this year, spending almost £9million in 2024-25, with £3.6million being spent on the annual resurfacing programme and the remaining funds going towards improvements to pedestrian footways, highway structures, street lighting, and drainage works.
The council will continue reactive repairs to the highway network throughout the year, particularly after periods of heavy rainfall and flooding which the region has recently experienced.
Issues with highways and footways can be reported online via FixMyStreet, with reports by residents helping the council repair hundreds of potholes each month, with 1,332 fixed in 2023.
Last year’s resurfacing programme saw the council complete 32 schemes, with more than 15km of highway resurfaced including Frome Road in Radstock, High Street in Chew Magna and Chelwood Roundabout. Footways across Bath & North East Somerset were also improved with 17 schemes completed.
This year’s improvements should be completed by September, before colder and wetter weather makes resurfacing works more difficult. Works will be carried out by council contractor VolkerHighways.
Surveys and inspections carried out by the council’s highways team, along with reports made by residents through FixMyStreet, help identify and prioritise highways that need to be resurfaced and help form the programme each year
Highway improvements in 2023, which included the repair of 7,109 potholes, helped the council achieve the highest satisfaction score in the South West in a national independent survey which analysed results from 111 authorities across England.
The National Highways & Transport Satisfaction Survey is the largest survey of local opinion around transport and highways in the UK. Bath & North East Somerset Council also topped the South West satisfaction rankings for dealing with potholes, the number of potholes and the quality of repair to damaged roads.
Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for Transport said: “Each year we deliver multiple highway improvement programmes that make a real, positive difference to our network and everyone using it.”
“I’m pleased that this year we’re investing even more money to improve both our footways and highways, we know this is something our residents really want to see.
“As always, we will work to minimise disruption at each scheme, and keep residents informed throughout.”
The council will minimise disruption to the local traffic network by avoiding work to key routes at peak times of year, working overnight when required, notifying residents before work beings in their area and placing advanced warning signs in areas where work is due to happen. All roadworks and their details can be seen on the one.network.
The council will be implementing Section 58 restrictions to each of the newly resurfaced highways which, under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, allows them to protect a road from any planned street works following any major surfacing works for a period of up to three years. Emergency works can still take place on these protected highways. These notices can be seen here.
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