Patching teams test new permanent road replacement methods in Notts

Workers from Via East Midlands, the authority’s highways contractor, have been trialling new methods of permanent road replacements in Rainworth after the council brought in changes to its much-criticised repair methods.

The council plans to move away from temporary pothole fixes in favour of a ‘right repair, right-first-time’ approach, delivering longer-term work ‘whenever possible’.

It follows figures showing the authority repaired 476,000 potholes over the past five years, with the year-on-year number of temporary repairs on the rise.

The Conservative-led authority launched its all-party highways review panel last year to address the issue, with several meetings held throughout 2021 to discuss current repair methods and attempts to find new solutions.

Two external assessments of the authority’s current methods were ordered – one by consultants WSP and a second by the Local Government Association,

The assessments found the council should shift away from temporary repairs using a method known as Viafix and focus on permanent road replacement schemes.

Viafix – a form of cold asphalt repair which fills in specific holes – would still be needed to ‘protect the safety of road users’ in the event of an emergency.

But the authority was told it should be using other forms of repair which replace whole stretches of road when it can.

Now the council has put this into action after conducting its permanent repair work on Holbeck Way, Rainworth.

The method involves using patching planers attached to a ‘Bobcat’ vehicle, which plains the top level of worn road surfaces before filling it with hot materials.

It will be typical of what the newly-announced patching gangs will be delivering across the county, with the authority’s £15 million to double the council’s patching teams from four to eight.

Approach

Speaking as the work was taking place this week, Coun Neil Clarke, council transport and environment committee chairman, said: “This is a great example of our new approach to road repairs.

“We’re investing an additional £15 million into our road repairs and this is part and parcel of our new patching teams.

“We’ve doubled the number of teams working on our roads to have long-term patching repairs rather than short-term pothole repairs, so we’re now able to really get to grips with improving the roads for the people of Nottinghamshire.

“It will certainly lead to a reduction in the pothole repairs, but we’re never going to be able to say goodbye completely, there’s always going to be an emergency that needs a quick repair somewhere.

“But our emphasis is to have long-term, large patch repairs and that’s why we’re doubling those teams, so people will see they are better than those small pothole repairs.”

Alongside doubling the number of patching teams, the authority is also moving towards a three-year plan for road repairs to give more ‘clarity’ to residents on when their streets will be targeted.

At present, the authority works on a one-year programme for road replacements and capital investment.

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