Network North highway maintenance reporting

Resurfacing and maintenance made possible by reallocated HS2 funding

The Department for Transport has requested that all resurfacing and other highways maintenance work delivered with the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 funding repurposed from HS2 is reported for each authority.

The West of England Combined Authority was awarded £2,007,000 in December 2023 to be spent on maintenance work in the 2023/2024 financial year, and a further £2,007,000 to be spent in the 2024/2025 financial year. This funding was allocated to the three local highway authorities within the region.

The breakdown of completed and planned highway maintenance work, by highway authority (Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire), enabled with this funding, is shown in Annex 1.

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Innovation

Throughout the West of England region, a range of innovations are utilised to ensure the delivery of highways maintenance is undertaken efficiently and effectively.

Digital imaging technology is used throughout the region’s network to survey and inspect the highway for defects and identify where maintenance is required. Surveying the network enables maintenance to be more efficiently planned thus reducing disruption and risks associated with working on the highway.

The region has invested in new vehicles and machinery to deliver more efficient repairs as well as reducing carbon in the process. The new vehicle used in Bath and North East Somerset has delivered a zero waste carbon saving carriageway and footway repair technique and has now been used extensively across the wider region’s network. The use of this vehicle formed part of a successful submission for a Green Apple Environment Gold Award 2023.

Software is used to determine the most efficient routing for the gritting fleet through winter months to ensure coverage of the network is optimised.

Maintenance teams throughout the region are transitioning to using recycled materials in its the resurfacing and maintenance of roads and footways to reduce carbon and cost. Furthermore, the teams are continuing to develop and use warm mixes to reduce carbon.

Solar panels and battery storage are used in depot locations throughout the region to reduce carbon impact.

Streetworks

The Highways teams make full use of restrictions under Section 58 of the New Roads & Street Works Act (1991) in order to protect newly resurfaced roads and other significant highway improvement schemes. This of course does not prevent utility companies from carrying out urgent or emergency works. Regular coordination meetings with utility companies are held where programmes of upcoming work are shared. The Section 58 restrictions are published on one.network, and the forward planning function in Street Manager is used, both commonly used digital platforms showing current and planned work.

Total investment

Table 1 Total expenditure and DfT Grant funding for highways maintenance from 2019 – 2025.
Year	Total expenditure	DfT Grant funding
2019/2020	£20,135,689.00	£12,133,981.00
2020/2021	£24,158,246.00	£13,725,295.00
2021/2022	£26,509,651.00	£10,437,247.00
2022/2023	£33,485,859.00	£14,812,243.00
2023/2024	£33,508,788.00	£17,302,324.00
2024/2025	£34,698,280.00	£16,587,450.00

The breakdown of these funds by highway authority in the region is shown in Annex 1.