If invested properly the recently announced record levels of highways maintenance funding could make a huge difference to the condition of the UK local road network by 2030, according to The Road Surface Treatments Association (RSTA).
The RSTA has welcomed the Government announcement of a record £7.3billion of local highway maintenance capital funding between 2026/27 and 2029/30. The announcement confirmed both a longer term commitment to funding to 2029/30 which the Association has previously called for. Whilst also fixing 2026/27 funding at £1.617billion, which will increase annually to £2.134billion by 2029/30, almost doubling historic annual highway maintenance funding levels.
The Government statement rightly documents a need to move away from expensive, short term repairs, and instead to invest in permanent and proactive preventative maintenance. £2.1billion of this funding will be incentivised with local authorities required to report information in relation to their maintenance activities. This may also be linked to performance criteria in the future.
The RSTA has said that this certainty of future funding will allow better planning and is an opportunity for some local highway authorities to review their maintenance strategy, to include the introduction of proactive and preventative maintenance, whilst also investing in longer term, permanent repair solutions.
How could this extra funding make a difference?
• Councils could be identifying roads constructed or resurfaced in the past 5-7 years, and consider cost effective asphalt preservation or rejuvenation treatments, to ensure they stay in good condition.
• Get back to sealing joints and cracks, instead of waiting for them to form a pothole
• Mid-life roads could be treated with surface dressing or microsurfacing , to return them to good condition, instead of allowing them to progress through to end of life, where they will experience unpredictable and expensive potholes.
• Permanent patching, instead of expensive and poor quality temporary repairs, including repairs to and around ironwork
• Instead of continually repairing potholes on end of life, failing roads – cold recycling of existing materials to form the construction of the new road.
• Slippery roads could be retextured or where appropriate; consider the use of high friction surfacing
• If replacing asphalt, consider the use of reinforcing geosynthetics or steel meshes, giving extra resilience against the effects of reflective cracking.
Mike Hansford, Chief Executive of the RSTA said:
“The Government announcement of record levels of highway maintenance funding, combined with longer term certainty, is very exciting news for local highway authorities and indeed for motorists. However many local authorities are still not using surface treatments, which support a cost effective, lower carbon maintenance approach, and results in a more resilient network, with more roads treated.
“This increased funding announcement is an opportunity to really make a difference and ensure that these funds are invested in cost effective surface treatments, to keep roads in good condition for longer, preventing the future formation of potholes, and securing permanent repairs.
“The advances in technologies are also there to support the identification of targeted programmes of planned maintenance, instead of just ‘fixing potholes’. These same technologies will also provide the evidence required to influence senior decision makers, to make a change to maintenance strategy.”
With the Government urging local highway authorities to invest more in preventative road maintenance, The Road Surface Treatments Association is committed to supporting local highway authorities, who may wish to review their maintenance strategy or learn more about surface treatments. Contact [email protected] or call 01902 824325 for more information.
(Picture: RSTA)
