Initiative will help future-proof Bedfordshire roads

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

The resilience of Bedfordshire’s roads is set to improve with a new pothole repair initiative now underway.

 

Central Bedfordshire Council has pledged £724,000 of additional funding for its highways partner Amey to undertake extra road repairs when called out to do an emergency pothole fix.

 

This means that any minor road defects within 10 metres of a pothole due for repair will be made good at the same time even if they don’t meet the criteria for an emergency repair. This will help reduce the rate that roads deteriorate and cut down repeat visits to the same sites.

 

Cllr Brian Spurr, Executive Member for Sustainable Communities, Services at Central Bedfordshire Council said: "This initiative will help make best use of available resources at each site we visit - it’ll help future-proof our roads. We’re already getting positive feedback from road users saying thanks for fixing the potholes and particularly for sealing the edges, which is a technique that helps ensure the fault doesn’t recur."

 

This combined works approach was developed after severe winter weather and in response to concerns from residents about numbers of potholes and repeat visits to locations.

 

Under the new system, severe faults remain the priority but the repair timescale has been extended to five days from being reported, so the larger scope of repair can be planned properly.

 

The new combined-works initiative was trialled successfully in the Flitwick and Cranfield area before being rolled out more widely.

 

The council has also made it easier for residents to report potholes and track progress online. Visit the Report It section of our website to sign up.