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Cold winter will have ‘detrimental impact’ on roads
Predictions of the worst winter in 10 years is not good news for highway authorities who have failed to carry out the much needed maintenance of their road networks.
The Met Office’s forecast for November to January predicts the ‘risk of colder than normal conditions remains a significant possibility’.
Potholes are caused by water or snow freezing in cracks in the road surface. The expansion of ice results in damage and breaking up of the road surface, which is made worse by freeze-thaw cycles being repeated.
Budget constraints mean that many highway authorities are unable to carry out planned, comprehensive maintenance and are forced to adopt a costly patch-and-mend approach.
The consequence of not undertaking necessary maintenance is demonstrated by the 2017 Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey. Produced by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), the survey reports that the cost to restore the local road network to a satisfactory condition is more than £12 billion and that it would take 13 years to address the backlog of repairs in England and nine years in Wales.
Howard Robinson, chief executive of the Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA), said: “An early cold start of winter will have a detrimental impact upon our roads and could result in a record number of potholes, particularly where local authority highway departments have not carried out proper road maintenance programmes.
“The lack of investment in planned maintenance means that in many parts of the country the local road network is not in a fit state to face the impact of a severe extended winter.
“Despite significant budget cuts local authorities are fixing 1.75 million potholes every year. However, only with adequate funding from central government can local authorities undertake the necessary investment in local road long-term maintenance.”
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