A number of parish and town councils and community organisations, have expressed a desire to carry out minor works within their communities, which the council do not have a legal obligation to undertake. As a result of this feedback we … Continue reading
Roads maintenance
-
-
We put pothole reports on the system and they get taken off, what’s going on?
Potholes are only removed from the system if we can see that they have already been reported or if they have been visited and do not meet the criteria of a safety defect in terms of size and depth. Potholes … Continue reading
-
Isn’t it better to do a proper surfacing scheme rather than come back lots of times to fix potholes?
Yes and we are using data associated with pothole repairs to select such schemes. However, there is a shortfall in the funding needed to address the backlog and retain road condition in a steady state. It is often necessary to … Continue reading
-
How can you say you are efficient when so much material gets wasted?
Devon Highways have demonstrated year-on-year improvements in efficiency through better planning, programming and adopting a one team approach between the County Council and its contractor. Materials wastage is kept to a minimum. Typically a hotbox crew might have 1 to … Continue reading
-
What do you mean by “managing demand”?
With the highway maintenance revenue budget under pressure, managing demand is an important part of our strategy. An increasing number of rural minor roads are subject to temporary road closures, as routine safety defect repairs are not affordable. These roads … Continue reading
-
What hope is there for rural minor roads given the financial situation we are in?
There is a shortfall in the annual funding available to maintain the entire minor road network in a steady state. However, we can still use a data-led approach to identify programmes of work to ensure the available funding is spent wisely. … Continue reading
-
Am I liable if I do some work on the highway under your self-help scheme?
If work is being taken under the supervision a trained warden appointed by the parish or town council as part of our Road Warden Scheme. In the unlikely event of a claim being made, Devon County Council will cover the … Continue reading
-
Why don’t you fix all defects when you come to a section of road?
County Council policy, in common with national guidelines, stipulates that a pothole must be of a certain size and depth to be classed as a safety defect. When potholes come through from the public, we often find that the criteria … Continue reading
-
How can you say your contractor is efficient when we see them stood around doing nothing?
There can be a number of reasons for crews standing: Weather conditions. Not just the wet but also temperatures and visibility can delay works from proceeding as planned. Delays with materials being delivered to site. Hot road materials are often … Continue reading
-
What are the plans for minor roads that are not a priority for the future programme?
It is evident through safety inspections and condition surveys, that there are many minor roads that would benefit from structural maintenance. However, for the foreseeable future the priority will be to keep busier roads in a serviceable condition with the … Continue reading