Looking after our roads in winter

With winter coming up, road maintenance is more important than ever and it’s a good idea to get ahead before the cold weather really begins

In order to ensure proper resilience from your roads, it is important to perform maintenance before the wet and cold weather properly sets in. As the old saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail” – leaving your road network vulnerable to the cold will cause more problems and prove more costly in the long run.
    
We all know that in cold weather, water gets into cracks in the road and freezes and expands, damaging the road surfaces. This combined with heavy traffic means potholes are formed and they only get worse.
    
Charity IAM RoadSmart reports that 79 per cent of the 2000 motorists surveyed in February believe that potholes are a bigger issue for them than three years ago. 90 per cent of those polled had been affected by potholes in the last year, 32 per cent said they had changed route to avoid them and 16 per cent said they had reported a pothole to the authorities.

Repair backlog
According to the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance Survey 2022 (ALARM), there is a £12.64 billion backlog of carriageway repairs – amounting to £75.7 million for each local authority in England and Wales. In the foreword of the survey, Rick Green, chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance said: “Against a backdrop of increased costs caused by rising inflation, the message from this year’s ALARM research is clear: those responsible for maintaining our local roads are fast approaching the point where they are no longer waving but drowning. They have a legal responsibility to keep our roads safe, but flat funding allocations to carriageway maintenance in real terms – and rising costs – means they have to make difficult choices about keeping their networks open and safe today, versus improving structural resilience for today and tomorrow.”
    
Due to funding restrictions, there tends to be a short-term approach to road maintenance, with reactive rather than proactive treatments, though authorities are doing what they can – ALARM reports that 1.7 million potholes were filled last year – one every 19 seconds.

Prevention is better than cure
However, it is much more expensive to repair individual potholes than to surface dress and maintain a road for ten years. Regular proactive maintenance of roads is more sustainable and cost effective than letting roads deteriorate, and then needing reactive repairs.
    
Many surface treatments are available, such as surface dressing and these treatments are quick to apply, generate minimum waste, lower the carbon footprint of roads and generate savings for local authorities.
    
It is not only cost benefits that can come from road maintenance – safety is also an important factor. Improved road surfaces mean better texture and better skid resistance – both of which are particularly important for the winter. It means that drivers won’t be swerving to avoid potholes, potentially endangering themselves and other road and pavement users. Again, this is more dangerous in winter, when the roads may be icy.

Planning
Once the pre-emptive road maintenance is taken care of, local and highway authorities should plan for any adverse weather conditions. This means making sure that your gritters and snow ploughs are well maintained and you have a good supply of grit. You should also make sure the drivers are trained and accustomed to their routes. Make sure you keep up to date with short and long-term weather forecasts and ensure you have duty rotas to cover 24 hours in the case of extreme weather or sudden weather changes.
    
Of course, you should have winter maintenance plans, in coordination with any partners. These should monitor road surface conditions and the weather. Make sure systems are in place that mean decision makers and implementors are able to make decisions and react appropriately.
    
Make sure you have enough grit supplies and a gritting plan before you need it, so you are ready to go before it gets icy or snowy. Identify priority areas. Grit should be laid before the ice forms. It is also good practice to keep a record of what has been gritted and when.
    
Share information with local residents on your winter plan and let them know which roads have been gritted and if any roads should be avoided. For example, Barking and Dagenham council provide extensive information for local residents on their website. They say: “Our aim is to clear all priority roads of snow as soon as conditions permit and clearance work will continue as necessary.
    
“We give the highest priority to main roads, public transport access routes, access to hospitals and hills with high volumes of traffic.”
    
“We try to hand grit areas such as shopping parades, stations, school roads and medical centres if the weather is prolonged or severe.”
    
You can also share information with local residents on how they can help themselves and their neighbours. This could include removing snow when it is fresh, instead of after it has been compacted by footfall and traffic; never use water to clear snow and ice as this can refreeze and form black ice and look out for vulnerable neighbours if you are able.
    
Winter road maintenance is a big task, but forward planning can make a big difference in protecting your roads, improving safety, saving money and making a big difference for local residents.