Our highways teams will carry out a repair blitz on potholes in a few trial areas of the county following a decision by Councillors today (Wednesday 25 June).
While approving an £83 million programme of capital funded highway maintenance schemes, our Cabinet heard from Councillor Dan Thomas, Cabinet Member for Highways, who stated that the condition of Devon’s roads is not up to scratch because the county is “grossly under resourced by central government”.
Councillors backed proposals to trial areas where all potholes would be filled, rather than just dealing with safety defects. Although the exact details are still to be agreed, this pilot would be used to establish the budget implications of changing maintenance procedures.
Councillors also agreed that a task group from the Audit Committee should be formed to review the previous Cabinet’s decision from last November on the future delivery model for highway maintenance.
The Cabinet at the time resolved that a procurement process should get underway for a Term Maintenance Contract to deliver core highway work such as safety defect repairs, gully emptying and winter service, supported with smaller “Framework Contracts” for additional patching, surfacing, drainage and other improvements.
It was also agreed to examine the costs of accelerating the remarking of white lines across the county.
Councillor Dan Thomas, Cabinet Member for Highways, said:
“We’re being very honest that the state of the roads is not as we would want; that’s our starting point. The one message that I would like the public to hear today is that every single member of the Highways Department, from the director to the neighbourhood highways officers that we deal with on a daily basis, are all acutely aware that we are not able to do the things the public wants us to do as quickly as we would like. It is simply because we are grossly under resourced by central government and I think we have to make that very clear from the start of this Council.
“We have a repair backlog of around £390 million, and to keep us in a steady state it costs around £102 million a year. We don’t have that, so whatever we do under the current funding formula, we’re not going to solve the problem – we have to be clear about that. We’re not alone in this, but that’s little consolation to residents in Devon.
“We’re asking for a trial in a few areas to fill all potholes, not just safety defects, when visiting a site. By asking to trial this change it’s a very different notion from where we were before and we want to establish what the cost implications are and how effective that would be on the lower category roads.”
The capital funded highway maintenance programme for 2025/26 sets out our plans to maintain our highways assets and road network, which at 8,000 miles in length, is the largest highway network in the country.
The independent National Highway and Transport (NHT) Network’s latest 2024 survey results has shown that by adopting more efficient practices, we saved over £2.6 million in the 2023/24 financial year.
Upgrading streetlights to energy efficient LEDs since 2016 has also led to an annual financial saving of £6 million at today’s prices, as well as annual carbon savings of 10,900 tonnes Co2e (carbon equivalent), compared to usage in 2016, which is the equivalent to an 80% saving. A current 12-month trial of overnight dimming across the county offers potential to provide even more savings.
Innovative new materials are being adopted for use. A new road repair material called Elastomac, which is partly made from recycled materials, is being used on our roads following successful trials on small to medium size patches. It reduces waste and carbon emissions while also being quicker to cure than traditional pothole repair materials, which reduces traffic disruption.
Road markings are being carried out using Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) which is applied cold, so it is safer to use than the previous thermoplastic product that has been the historic standard. It is more reflective, so improves road safety, and a three-year trial in Cheshire found a 62% reduction in collisions, while the longer lifespan of the product means fewer return visits are needed to repaint the lines, leading to a 50% reduction in network disruption and at least 10% cost saving over a 10-year period.
Around £56 million of this year’s highway maintenance capital budget will be invested in road maintenance and surface treatments, with the remainder being allocated to bridges and structures, streetlighting, traffic signals, public rights of way and other highways assets.
To ensure principal roads across the county are retained in a condition where less than 4% require immediate attention, £8.7 million has been allocated for preventative treatments and resurfacing.
This includes resurfacing on:
A379/A3015 – Rydon Lane (from Pines Hill to Countess Wear) in Exeter
A3015 – Frog Street, Exeter
A381 – Totnes to Littlehempston
A3052 – Hangmanstone to Southleigh junction
A3052 – Half Way Inn to Goosemoor, Aylesbeare
A385 – Coronation Road Roundabout, Totnes
A390 – Callington Road, Tavistock
A390 – Ford Street roundabout, Tavistock
A39 – Alexandra Road, Barnstaple
A361 – Mullacott Cross, West Down
A373 – Hembury Hill to Colliton Cross, Broadhembury
A375 – Two Bridges Road, Sidmouth
A377 – New Bridge, Bishops Tawton
A377 – Bugford Cross, Morchard Bishop
A386 – Bassets Cross, Hatherleigh
A386 – Dartmoor Inn, Lydford
A386 – Fox and Hounds Pub, Bridestowe
A386 – New Road, Bideford
A396 – Exeter Road, Tiverton
A396 – The Walronds, Tiverton
A396 – Exeter Inn roundabout to Riversmeet Cottage, Bampton
A399 – Watermouth Road, Ilfracombe
Extensive patching, drainage improvements and resurfacing schemes on B-roads and C-class roads are set to receive £14.5 million.
A further £3.5 million is being allocated to patching and small resurfacing schemes on highly trafficked main routes that link communities or connect to economic hubs.
Preventative maintenance treatments such as surface dressing, micro asphalt and footway “slurry sealing” are used to preserve and extend the life of highway surfaces that are already in a reasonable condition. This work will receive an investment of £11.2 million.
Our fleet of Dragon Patchers provides another option for patch repairs – with £1.6 million earmarked to support their work, while £12.9 million will be used to deliver a programme of large safety defect patching repairs.
An investment of £9.5 million will support the maintenance of bridges and structures, including the replacement of Martinhoe bridge and repairs to Pinhoe Railway and Crediton Leat Bridges. The reinstatement of Coleridge Footbridge in Ottery St Mary, which was closed due to damage sustained by a fallen tree, is also due to be completed subject to approval by the Environment Agency.
Drainage remains a key focus for us, in order to tackle a key cause of deterioration of local roads. This is due to receive £2.95 million.
To support active travel, public rights of way and cycle networks across the county will be maintained with £1.2 million, with an additional £750,000 for the Renewal of Access Trails infrastructure.