Nearly a fifth of UK roads less than five years from structural failure
UK businesses and commuters face further downtime and costly repairs due to worsening carriageway conditions. It is estimated that Local authority highway teams in England and Wales may require more than £14 billion to fix the backlog of road repairs.
The Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) Survey Report 2023, published by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), highlights some worrying issues with the UK’s road infrastructure. The cost of fixing the backlog of carriageway repairs is reported to have increased a further 11% on last year’s record figure to £14.02bn. It is estimated that it would take an average of 11 years to complete.
Rick Green, Chairman at Asphalt Industry Alliance, states: “The findings of this year’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey make for bleak, if not unsurprising, reading. Local roads underpin all other local services, but findings show a worsening picture in their overall conditions and means to improve them.”
“Rising costs due to inflationary pressures mean that despite a moderate increase in overall local highway maintenance budgets, engineers can do less, and many have been forced to postpone or cancel road schemes to make savings.”
“It’s clear from the column inches and social media posts devoted to potholes that the condition of our local roads remains a key issue for the public. Materials innovation and technical advances can only go so far: they are not a silver bullet. Without a change to the funding structure and the amount allocated, local road conditions can’t – and won’t – improve.”
The findings of this survey were published following an announcement by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, pledging £200m to local councils in order to help fix potholes across the United Kingdom. Potholes are symptomatic of poorly maintained roads and can be used as indicators of resilience, which can potentially point to underlying structural issues. This is a 20% increase to the funds set aside to deal with the issue. However, is covering the potholes enough to deal with the rapid deterioration of the roads, or do we require a different approach to tackling this issue?
Nicholas Lyes, head of Roads Policy at RAC, explains: “Sadly, everyone but the Government appears to recognise this. This is why the Government’s eternal emphasis on filling potholes is so frustrating as it’s simply treating the symptoms, and not dealing with the root cause. As a nation so dependent on road transport, we must not let this go on.”
He continues: “It’s incredible that council funding is now so inadequate that almost one-in-five roads have under five years’ structural life left. This means the gap between the money councils have and what they need is widening – with road users ultimately left suffering.”
Over the past year, ALARM reports that 1.4 million potholes were filled. This is a decrease from the previous year (1.7 million) but it is still equivalent to filling a pothole every 22 seconds. While the study found that just over half (51%) of local roads are reported to be in good structural condition, the remainder could, without appropriate maintenance, continue to deteriorate to the point where they would need to be rebuilt within the next 15 years. One fifth (18%) of the network is already assessed as having less than 5 years’ structural life remaining.
What are the reasons for this deterioration?
Adverse Weather
Adverse weather conditions, particularly wetter winters and more intense periods of rain alongside drier summers and increased traffic volumes can result in accelerated deterioration. The combined impacts are more acute on evolved and less well maintained roads, where water can penetrate existing cracks or defects, leading to the formation of potholes.
Unforeseen costs
There has been a jump in unforeseen maintenance needs over the last year due to various factors. This includes:
• Dealing with the effects of extreme weather events
• Rising traffic volumes
• Increasing average vehicle weight on a deteriorating network
• Planned work postponed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Statistics
Highway maintenance budgets (Average per authority 2022/23, which change from 2021/22):
England – £33.3m (Up 3.1%)
London – £10.7m (Up 10%)
Wales – £9.0m (Down 7.2%)
Carriageway maintenance budgets (average per authority, with change from 2021/22):
England – £16.9m (Down 4.5% from £17.7m)
London – £4.5m (Up 29% from £3.5m)
Wales – £5.3m (Up 32% from £4.0m)
Proportion of the overall highway maintenance budget spent on the carriageway itself:
England – 51% (Down from 55%)
London – 42% (Down from 43%)
Wales – 59% (Up from 41%)
In summary, the survey finds that the backlog of repairs is the highest it has ever been, with structural conditions continuing to decline. Without adequate council funding, it is motorists who will ultimately be left suffering if these issues are not addressed.
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