Environment
Additional investment in Devon’s roads
Posted on: 8 February 2012
Devon’s roads are to benefit from more than £5.7 million of additional funding, it has been announced by Devon County Council’s Cabinet.
In setting out its budget today (Wednesday 8 February), the County Council agreed to invest an extra £5 million in maintaining C-class roads and other minor routes. This cash will fund around 400 maintenance schemes, restoring around 50miles (80km) of roads.
The comprehensive package of funding also includes an extra £260,000 for parish lengthsmen which will be used to increase the frequency of visits to parishes, £150,000 for weed spraying, targeted at urban sites, £250,000 for improved highway drainage to reduce the incidence of localised flooding and £100,000 for gulley maintenance to ensure that problem areas that are prone to flooding are better prepared to cope with the increased incidence of localised heavy rainfall.
Devon has continued to maintain 96% of A and B roads in good condition due to its investment over the past couple of years, and with the support of the Government’s Winter Damage Grant. Devon was praised for its efficient use of the grant by the Department for Transport last November and the AA also praised the county last year for “turning around” the problem of potholes on its network.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: “This money will go someway to improve the condition of the C-roads and unclassified roads. By concentrating this funding on these routes we can make significant progress in preventing the deterioration of some of our minor but locally important roads for our communities, and Devon’s economy. As well as improving the condition of the road surface, this longer term investment will also enable future savings on pothole repairs.
“We have already started to see how we have made in-roads in reducing the number of potholes on our road network, with 130,000 potholes repaired by the County Council in 2011 compared with the record figure of 200,000 the previous year. But severe weather has continued to have a huge impact on the condition of our roads. We’ve again seen freezing surface temperatures this winter, and although not as severe as recent winters, the heavy rainfall and flooding have still taken their toll on the county’s 8,000 mile network.
“Drainage improvements and gulley clearance is a vital element of road maintenance, so it’s right that they receive extra support along with parish lengthsmen who are highly valued by our rural communities. They carry out a very important role in keeping minor roads in a serviceable condition by clearing ditches and cutting back overgrowth. This additional investment is a commitment that we are investing in the future of Devon’s roads.”
By the end of March, the £9.3million Winter Damage Grant will have funded around 800 road repair schemes across the county, covering 80 miles of roads in 60 of the county’s electoral divisions. Devon has also completed surface treatment on a total of 540 miles of the county’s roads last year.
