An additional £1.5 million is being invested in preventative highway maintenance in County Durham over the next three years, improving road conditions and helping to reduce the number of potholes.
The investment supports the Council’s commitment to maintaining and improving its 3,800km road network, and focuses on preventing road deterioration before defects develop.
Targeting preventative repairs on roads nearing the end of their serviceable life, and other areas where recurring faults are common, the programme will see £750,000 invested in 2026/27, £500,000 in 2027/28 and £250,000 in 2028/29.
The new programme, which will see the use of specialist preventative repair methods, including Mastic Asphalt Patching and Spray Injection Patching, will help extend the lifespan of road surfaces and reduce the need for reactive pothole repairs.
This additional investment is a boost to Durham’s annual programme, in which, £12.5 million is being invested into traditional surfacing projects, surface dressing and micro asphalt.
Around 30,000 square metres of road are expected to be treated over the three-year programme, which forms part of the Council’s wider strategy of “investing in the right treatments at the right time to maximise the lifespan of the highway network and deliver better value for money.”
Cllr Tim McGuinness (pictured), Cabinet member for rural, farming and transport, said:
“Our highways team does a lot of work to reduce the number of potholes across the county, and this additional investment will bolster these extensive efforts. Extra funding gives us the ability to prevent road defects before they develop and allows us to deliver targeted, preventative repairs.
“This preventive approach, when paired with new repair methods and traditional road resurfacing works, will be a game changer for the county’s roads.
“We’re already investing £12.5 million into traditional surfacing works and we have a wide range of treatment techniques. We will continue to carry out regular safety inspections of roads and do all we can to reduce potholes across the county.”
(Picture: Durham County Council)
