Nottinghamshire County Council has reported that its new highways hub is now operational and set to improve the efficiency and quality of road repairs across the county.
The newly formed hub, located at Via East Midlands’ Bilsthorpe Depot, was formed following Nottinghamshire County Council’s Highways Services Review and will co-ordinate the delivery of permanent road repairs county-wide.
The planning of works, along with the co-ordination of the county’s road maintenance teams, will be carried out by the new Highways Hub, reports the Newark Advertiser.
This includes the new teams added as part of the council’s £12m additional funding in roads and the environment over the next four years, helping Via and the council to deliver more repairs and improve the quality of road surfaces.
It will also improve communications with residents, businesses, and road users ahead of and during works, ensuring people are better informed about improvements in their area ahead of the start of any schemes.
The hub also aims to minimise disruption to residents and road users by taking a whole-street approach to repairs. This will see staff consider what other works are required and co-ordinate them to take place under the same traffic management, reducing the need for more frequent road closures.
Over time, the hub is set to expand to co-ordinate further maintenance activities carried out by Via such as drainage, forestry and street lighting, and support the response to emergency and severe weather events that impact on the county.
Neil Clarke, cabinet member for transport and environment, said: “The new highways hub is the result of major investment we have made into Nottinghamshire’s roads.
“Now that it is operational, it will be at the heart of how we repair and maintain our roads network across the county.
“I recently visited the hub at the Bilsthorpe Highways Depot to see the great work that the team are already doing and saw and heard first-hand about how the hub will help to adopt a whole street approach and make how we maintain your local roads more efficient.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how the hub continues to develop and hope that this is an example to Nottinghamshire residents of how we are building on the recommendations of the Highways Review Panel to make them a reality.”
Dave Tebbett, operations director at Via added: “The Highways Hub has been developed to centrally monitor and co-ordinate Via’s responsive maintenance activities, improving performance, quality and value for money.
“The increased investment by Nottinghamshire County Council, in preventative road maintenance, doubling the number of teams, will make a noticeable difference to Nottinghamshire’s roads over time.”
