Agenda item

Further to Minute No. 17 of the meeting of the Improving Places Select Commission held on 4th September, 2013, consideration was given to a report presented by the Principal Engineer (Streetpride) describing the methodology for the prioritisation of highway works and the various methods of highway surface repairs.

The report stated that, as Highway Authority, the Council's primary objective is to ensure that Rotherham’s roads and footways are maintained to the nationally recognised safety standards. Additionally, in carrying out maintenance works on the highway, such works are not necessarily on roads that are in are the worst condition, but the aim is to extend the life of the existing highway network fabric.

The Select Commission was informed of the three, proactive forms of assessment used to examine the condition of the highway network:-

SCRIM (Sideway-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine)

SCANNER (Surface Condition Assessment of the National Network of Roads)

CVI (Coarse Visual Inspection) 

The assessment process permits Elected Members to identify highway locations, within their Wards, which require treatment.

The various methods of surface repair and treatment to highways, as well as the budget allocations, were also described in the report:-

: no works required (but some may be planned for the future);

: Safety defect repair;

: Patching;

: Super Patching (larger areas of highway than patching);

: Overlay;

: Resurfacing;

: Reconstruction.

The Select Commission viewed maps of various highways, throughout the Borough area and discussed the road surface maintenance requirements of those areas.

The Select Commission’s discussion of this issue included the following salient issues:-

: Bellows Road, Rawmarsh – highway maintenance deferred, pending redevelopment of adjacent retail area;

: a question whether an improved highway surface encourages higher vehicle speeds – there was no specific evidence to support such a suggestion;

: consultation with statutory undertakers, to ensure the completion of their works and to prevent excavation works in newly-resurfaced highways (nb: the resurfacing of Morthen Road, Wickersley had been delayed for a short period because of excavation works having to be completed);

: the provisions of Section 58 of the Highways Act 1980 concerning the legal obligations upon local authorities to maintain the highway;

: statutory undertakers are required to resurface the highway after completion of excavation works, but not the whole surrounding area;

: completion of resurfacing throughout residential estates, as quickly as possible, so as to minimise disruption of travelling;

: the reducing budgets available for highway maintenance and the need to secure value for money;

: improved highway maintenance techniques (eg: use of the ‘multihog’ machine); procurement of materials and machinery at more advantageous costs; the proposed use of the ‘find and fix’ teams for highway repairs;

: production of the Highways Asset Management Plan (involving the financial value of the entire highway network);

: Department for Transport national averages for planned maintenance of the footway and the carriageway – the Rotherham Borough area highway network compares favourably with the national averages (nb: the Department for Transport does not collect data for footpath maintenance);

: inspection of footpaths in Council-owned housing areas, where maintenance is funded from the Housing Revenue Account;

: specific arrangements for strengthening the highway surface near to ‘speed humps’, to prevent rutting and tracking of the road surface;

: ‘fretting’ of a road surface caused by the oxidisation of the binder in the primary aggregate and causing holes in the road surface as chippings work loose; this issue does not occur with other methods of road surface treatment;

: provision of Local Transport Plan funding by central Government; the method of funding may alter from 1st April, 2015 onwards and be based upon the asset valuation of an area’s highway network;

: sharing of best practice of highway maintenance with other local authorities in Yorkshire and in the wider region;

: the experience of Sheffield City Council, where highway maintenance is the subject of Private Finance Initiative funding.

Resolved:- That the report be received and its contents noted.