Pothole blitz for Kent - An article by Paul Carter
1 March 2010
The coldest and wettest winter for years has caused huge damage
to Kent’s roads. Potholes and broken road surfaces are the
unavoidable result of the exceptionally long periods of sub-zero
temperatures experienced in Kent and other parts of the country
this winter, combined with the constant freezing, thawing,
refreezing and very heavy rainfall.
However, along with other local authorities, we are preparing
for action. We know what needs to be done. Right at the start of
the year I announced an extra £1million to £2million spending on a
major pothole repair blitz when the weather conditions are right.
Plans for this are well advanced. This money can be increased
substantially if needed to complete the job properly.
I ask you to be patient because we cannot hit the task as hard
as we would like until the winter is over and the weather improves.
Right now the road structures are affected by perma-frost and a
very high water table. This is not stopping us doing thousands of
emergency temporary repairs, particularly for safety reasons. We
have over 60 crews out doing this every day now.
But the pothole repair blitz I am talking about will see a much
larger army of road maintenance crews mobilised in the spring to
carry out a comprehensive programme of permanent repairs which will
stand the test of time.
I want to see real quality workmanship on Kent’s roads. I want
to see this extra money delivered as far as possible by local small
and medium-sized firms who have given us competitive prices. The
work will be on a ‘find and fix’ traditional piece-work basis to
agreed quality standards, providing real incentives to
hard-working, properly-equipped crews to maximise the jobs they can
finish in a day.
We have also lost the pride local companies used to have in
looking after their area. I want to bring back more local
accountability and team work. That is why I am re-introducing the
‘pride in your patch’ approach to our winter road repair
initiative, with firms tasked to focus on local areas. But I also
want to see the approach more widely used for a whole range of our
services.
The successful firms for this spring pothole blitz will be
announced at the start of April. This is only four weeks away. Then
you will quickly see the results on the ground of our foresight and
planning to put the long hard winter of 2010 behind us.
Standing up for Kent Business. Standing up for Kent’s Roads.