“Local authority highway teams have a legal responsibility to keep our roads safe, but do not have the funds to do so in a cost effective, proactive way.”
That’s according to the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), who commissions an annual survey of highways departments in all local authorities in England and Wales to build a picture of the general condition of local roads.
The latest edition of the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, published on 22 March, saw a record 73% of local authorities respond.
Despite an increase in average highway maintenance budgets (up 4% on 2020/21), the survey finds that the proportion being invested in the carriageway itself is down.
As a result, the reported one time cost to fix local roads in England and Wales has increased by almost a quarter (23%) on last year’s figure to £12.64 billion – or £61,700 for every mile of road.
Additionally, the percentage of roads described as being in a ‘poor overall condition’ – meaning they are likely to require maintenance in the next 12 months – rose by 2% to 11%.
Other findings from ALARM 2022, which relate to the 2021/22 financial year, show:
- Local authorities would have needed an extra £1 billion last year just to reach their own target road conditions, before even thinking about tackling the backlog of repairs
- Almost one in five local roads could need to be rebuilt in the next five years – nearly 37,000 miles of the network
- One pothole is filled the equivalent of every 19 seconds
- Roads are only resurfaced on average once every 70 years
The AIA says the survey highlights ‘the scale of the worsening issue faced by highway engineers who have to make difficult choices about keeping local roads open and safe versus improving overall conditions’.
Rick Green, AIA chair, said: “Local authority highway teams have a legal responsibility to keep our roads safe, but do not have the funds to do so in a cost effective, proactive way.
“As a result, while they report some slight improvements in surface conditions, the structure of our roads continues to decline.
“Although surface repairs have a part to play in extending the life of local roads, short-term fixes, including filling potholes, is indicative of a network that is ‘on the edge’ and less efficient and sustainable when it comes to materials usage and whole-life carbon emissions.”
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