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News

Why Are The Council Resurfacing The Road When Mine Is Far Worse ?

All roads are inspected at least four times a year to identify and deal with problems before they present a hazard to road users.

The highway inspectors get to know their area quite well and are able to identify those roads which are deteriorating beyond economic small scale repairs. Every year a list of these roads is given to a team of trained surveyors who carry out a full technical survey which provides a rating of each road’s overall condition.

The roads are then ranked in order of need, with those in the worse condition forming the programme for the following year. This assessment and ranking is undertaken using a national system known as CHART (Computerised Highway Assessment of Ratings and Treatment).

The underlying aim is to ensure that money is spent in the areas of greatest
need and that the road network throughout the Borough is maintained in the
most cost effective way.

Because the system is designed to ensure that preventative maintenance is
done at the appropriate time, it is not always those roads which look worst on
casual inspection which are resurfaced first. For example, a bumpy road may
seem to be in need of repair but it will last longer than a road where cracks
exist in the surface allowing water to seep through and affect the structure of
the road. Equally, a thin bituminous overlay may be all that is necessary to seal
the surface of a road or footpath rather than an expensive reconstruction or
resurfacing scheme.

So next time you ask the question ‘ Why are they resurfacing that road ?‘ rest
assured a lot of work has gone into making this decision to make sure that you
get the best value when we spend your money.

Steve Tite, Highway Manager, Borough Of Poole (01202) 262020