Road improvement cash required

Norfolk County Council has warned that it needs almost double its allocated budget in order to bring its roads up to the necessary standard.

The council is due to meet on Wednesday 3rd September and a report will show the double impact of both the steep rise in maintenance costs and the deterioration of the road network condition.

The total cost of covering all the county roads, excluding trunk roads and footways, is around £70.4 million.  The report estimates that the required budget next year would be approximately £54.7 million, almost double the 2008 figure of £28.5 million, and inflation costs in construction has reduced the value of their budget by around 25 per cent over just four years. 

Adrian Gunson, cabinet member for planning and transportation, said: “This report shows that the county council has done quite well when it comes to maintaining the safe condition of roads and dealing with those in most urgent need of attention, but that there has been an underlying deterioration in the road network overall.

“The proportion of the network with no defects has been falling steadily. This is a worrying sign and if we do not take action it can only lead to more serious problems and higher cost in the future.”

Priorities are suggest to be:

• A roads
• Bridges, especially those used mainly by HGV drivers
• Traffic signal renewal
• B and C roads
• Footways
• Other minor roads

Members will be able to comment on the report and be given updates on the proposed measures to reduce CO2 emissions and to adapt to unavoidable climate change.  

AdvantageHGV Training & Jobs – 1st in the UK for HGV / LGV News & Information