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Blitz to fix pothole
backlog
A £3 MILLION blitz to tackle a
backlog of 14,000 potholes across Liverpool is set to take place between now
and the summer.
A report to the council's Cabinet says the condition of the road network has
deteriorated at a far faster rate than envisaged, leading to a significant
amount of outstanding highways defects that have not been tackled in the
target time of 25 days.
As well as an increase in complaints, there has been a rise in the number of
claims received and it now accounts for 90% of all legal claims, compared to
70% several years ago.
Around £1 million will be spent in each of the north, south and central/east
parts of the City, with work in each area starting almost immediately and
being completed within 3 months.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "I can see myself as I am
travelling around the City that we need to take immediate action to deal
with the potholes. That's why we've decided to prioritise tackling this
issue as a matter of urgency and are also looking at how we can do more in
the future.
We have a £269 million backlog of road repairs built up over many years and
only receive around £3 million each year from the Government which doesn't
even scratch the surface. That is why I am going to be raising this problem
with Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin when I meet him next week to
make the case for areas outside London receiving more investment funding.
The fact is that we don't get enough money to keep up with the maintenance
of the roads we are legally responsible for which means we can't even begin
to look at the 37 miles of unadopted routes in the City, many of which are
in a very bad condition."
The investment is in addition to the £80 million that the council is
spending over the next 5 years improving main routes in the City and the
annual resurfacing programme for local roads most in need of replacement
funded by the Department for Transport (DfT).
Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Cabinet member for regeneration, said:-
"Every councillor knows from their surgeries and emails that potholes are 1
of the biggest areas of complaints from residents. They cause inconvenience
for motorists, are a danger to cyclists, give a bad impression to visitors
and leave us open to increased compensation claims. Doing nothing is not an
option as the situation will just get even worse, so we are going to be
appointing a contractor to launch an intensive programme of repairs to
eradicate the backlog and make a significant difference to the quality of
the road network."
The cost of the work will be offset using contributions from developers
undertaking regeneration projects and utilities companies as well as future
savings in public liability claims and the reduced need for repairs. |
