Essex County Council continues fight against potholes

Surface dressing techniques were applied to more than 250 miles of Essex roads this summer – as part of efforts to prevent potholes forming.

Surface dressing techniques future proof the road surface – but can only be done in warm, dry weather.  

This summer more than 250 miles of road have been covered in 3,652 tonnes of binder and 38,000 tonnes of stone chippings, which are rolled in to form a new top layer.

Cllr Kevin Bentley, deputy leader, Essex County Council, said:

“With this work, other surfacing techniques and regular pothole-fixing crews, the number of potholes on our main roads has come down from 988 in June to 407.

“That’s a major improvement for the safety and comfort of drivers and riders on our faster roads where most of the traffic is. We will now work to keep that figure low, while shifting our crews’ efforts to fixing more potholes on local roads, whether in villages or town estates.”

Earlier this year, Essex County Council provided additional funding to tackle the ‘scourge of potholes’ caused by the harsh winter of 2017/18.

As a result, county members are now working with their local parishes and districts to identify the 20 worst road potholes that most concern local communities across Essex.

These lists will then be passed to Essex Highways to action over the next few months. On top of the repair work already scheduled, this means the council will deal with an additional 1,500 potholes, weather permitting.

Cllr Kevin Bentley, who is also Essex County Council’s cabinet member for infrastructure, said:

“I want to make sure that the extra money we’re putting in to pothole repairs is used to maximum effect in each area.

“Not just what engineers think is the safety priority, but the ones that really frustrate people locally.”

23 October 2018