Agenda item

To receive an overview of recent previous investment in carriageway surfacing activities broken down by Area Board.

Councillor Nick Holder, Cabinet Member for Highways, Street Scene, and Flooding, alongside Samantha Howell, Director for Highways and Transport, and Paul Bromley, Highways Asset Manager, provided an overview of recent previous investment in carriageway resurfacing activities broken down by Area Board.

It was emphasised that effective and efficient highway asset management was essential in allowing residents, businesses, and visitors to Wiltshire to undertake travel in and around the county to meet daily needs, as well as for leisure and recreation. Furthermore, officers took an evidence-led risk-based approach to asset management in line with agreed best practice and adopted policies, with frequent updates provided through the Engagement Strategy. It was explained that the principles of asset management had been applied to the maintenance of the network which involved accounting for the life cycle of the asset by undertaking regular surveys and monitoring performance of the network, interventions, and investment strategies within the objective of minimising expenditure while providing the desired outcomes for Wiltshire.

It was acknowledged that a lack of availability across the highway network could cause considerable impacts on communities and the economy. As such, the report set out investment as records allowed broadly over a 5 year period, with detailed analysis being undertaking to ensure that investment in the network continued to be targeted at the right areas. Paragraphs 9 to 11 of the report were noted as providing a full explanation of the analysis informing the Wiltshire Highways Investment Plan and historic condition data broken down by Area Board.

Finally, Paragraph 5 of the report was highlighted alongside Figure 3 through 9 which detailed planned major carriageway maintenance from 2018/19 to October 2024.

During the discussion, points included:

• It was explained that officers assessed the immediate risk to residents when undertaking reactive maintenance/treatments in different areas, hence why the data showed a spread of different activities taking place which had deemed to be the best reactive measure to tackle that immediate issue. It was noted that higher expenditure levels varied across each of the community areas which could be as a result of increased reporting by residents, and the variability in carriageway length, type, topography, geography, and traffic levels.
• It was confirmed that final testing was underway for the MyWilts app which was due to go live on 19 November 2024.
• With regard to works undertaken by utility companies, officers explained that companies were required to reinstate the network to appropriate levels, but monitoring the number of utility works across the network was resource intensive for the Council. However, Members were reassured that officers were working hard in terms of ensuring reinstatements were done correctly, in a timely manner, and then monitored. In the event that the reinstatements were not satisfactory, there were escalation processes in place and that these accounted for instances in which officers would not issue any permits for further works until an agreement was met.
• It was confirmed that not all vehicles were equipped with vehicle mounted lasers to undertake scanner surveys, however this was being considered as part of the Fleet Replacement Strategy. Furthermore, there was an annual survey to assess defects to feed into a road condition index that picked up 50% of the A Class road network in both directions which alternated each year, 100% of the B Class road network in one direction, 50% of the C Class road network in one direction, and then 50% of unclassified roads. It was also highlighted that highway safety inspections were also carried out on a monthly basis, predominantly for safety defects, on A and B Class roads, and annual inspections on residential streets.
• Members were also informed that officers were trialling a new piece of technology called Vaisala which used AI to recognise certain defects and build a condition pattern. In tandem with current scanner data, this would enable officers to continue improving decision making, better understand deterioration curves for each road, and the best time to intervene to get the cost benefit.
• It was explained that when considering preventative maintenance and the annual Forward Work Plan, discussions were had with Area Boards, Parish and Town Councils to understand local concerns and recommendations for future work. These conversations were then assessed in line with the evidence-led risk-based approach to identify whether repairs were appropriate, and it was highlighted that recent additional investments had allowed officers to specifically address some Member concerns in areas where it might not have been feasible in the past.
• The threat to infrastructure from climate change was raised and Members emphasised the importance of understanding historic costs to determine what maintenance would be sufficient and the future needs of the county and budgeting moving forwards. Officers acknowledged Member concerns and highlighted that the report should be seen as one part of the response to climate change and adaption.
• Officers reiterated the variability of the network in terms of road types, topography, and geological conditions and noted that cost projections were difficult due to Central Government settlements not being fully understood. As such, officers had taken a proportional approach in terms of supplying historic data in an easily accessible format to then focus on the delivery of the work across the network. Furthermore, it was noted that Figure 3 demonstrated that no one community area was disadvantaged in terms of the range of investment measures across the county and mitigating risk, particularly in areas where there were higher traffic levels and therefore a higher safety concern.
• Members queried what redress the Council had against historic contractors and mutual expectations after the conclusion of the contract if repairs were needed. In terms of specific recourse, officers noted that it would be addressed in future reports once further information had been gathered. However, it was explained that there was a general recourse in terms of standards of work through the procurement process.
• Officers noted that additional investment had been allocated to support rural overrun but highlighted the challenges with regard to the extent of the rural network across the County and land ownership constraints in many areas.

At the conclusion of the discussion, it was:

Resolved:

The Committee:

a)    Noted the contents of the report and the progress that is being made.

b)    Requested a new report in January 2025, breaking down spend in detail by area and road categories.

c)    Requested that future Highways Review of Service reports incorporated a breakdown of expenditure information in its Highways Investment Plans.