Potholes in Walwyn Road, Colwall
Case reference FOI2024/01160
Received 3 July 2024
Published 22 July 2024
Request
RE: The state of Walwyn Road in Upper Colwall from the Wyche Cutting round the S bend down into the village.
This morning, there were men working on the site... [they] applied 2 patches of tarmac to the central area (where the two halves of the road are separating) and the majority of the potholes remained untouched. I would like to know how this action can be justified.
· How much did it cost to employ the men for the time taken?
· How much travelling time was there in addition?
· How much fuel was used bringing the lorries here?
· How much time did it take to set up the one way diversion system and what were the incurred costs?
· How long can you expect a superficial patch to last?
· Why is there no fixed date to do a proper resurfacing?
· Why if [the workers] had come all this way at all this expense did they not at least patch all the holes?
Response
RE: The state of Walwyn Road in Upper Colwall from the Wyche Cutting round the S bend down into the village.
This morning, there were men working on the site... [they] applied 2 patches of tarmac to the central area (where the two halves of the road are separating) and the majority of the potholes remained untouched. I would like to know how this action can be justified.
· How much did it cost to employ the men for the time taken?
· How much travelling time was there in addition?
· How much fuel was used bringing the lorries here?
· How much time did it take to set up the one way diversion system and what were the incurred costs?
A) Balfour Beatty Living Places (BBLP) do not record the above information as Herefordshire Council have a set annual budget to maintain the county’s highways to the specification as set out in the Highways Maintenance Plan, which is publically available on Herefordshire Council’s website via the following link: Highway Maintenance Plan (herefordshire.gov.uk)
Repairs are coordinated to be completed in cluster areas to ensure the efficient use of available resources. As such, BBLP are not paid per repair and do not record the financial breakdown (including travel times, fuel costs, etc.) for each repair in a specific road or location.
· How long can you expect a superficial patch to last?
A) All pothole repairs utilised by BBLP teams are permanent repairs and treated in all cases with a “right first time” approach. BBLP randomly audit a number of potholes repairs across the county each month to ensure they meet standards to keep the network in a safe condition.
· Why is there no fixed date to do a proper resurfacing?
A) Herefordshire Council uses an asset management approach, as set out in the Highway Maintenance Plan, to make the most of the limited budget available for investment in the road network. This means using the right treatment, at the right time, in the right locations to maximise the lifespan of the roads and minimise future maintenance costs.
The Herefordshire highway network, as with other road networks across the country, is underfunded with a significant backlog of work required to bring the network to a manageable condition. More than £100m is required for Herefordshire’s roads alone - an issue that is well documented in the industry and across government.
The condition of roads is determined through annual surveys and routine safety inspections, and appropriate schemes are identified and prioritised on a county-wide basis to maximise the lifespan of the network in its entirety.
Whilst we appreciate the request for consideration for resurfacing works, at this time there are no plans in the current programme for resurfacing works on Walwyn Road in Upper Colwall, however the condition will continue to be monitored through the safety inspections and surveys.
Any specific defects on the highway including potholes, drains, footways, etc. may be reported on Herefordshire Council’s website via the following link: Report problems on the road – Herefordshire Council, or by calling 01432 261800.
· Why if [the workers] had come all this way at all this expense did they not at least patch all the holes?
A) In Herefordshire, pothole (and other highways defects) repairs are prioritised using a risk-based approach. Defects are assessed based on their size, location, traffic and other conditions. Those which pose the highest safety risk to road users (Category 1 defects) are scheduled for repair within 48 hours, while those posing less risk will be scheduled for repair at a later date. This means we are able to prioritise our resources to ensure the network is safely maintained for all road users. More information about the risk-based approach is available in the Highways Maintenance Plan.
Not all potholes are prioritised with the same risk-based approach, so attract different repair time frames.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.