Potholes targeted by transport cash boost
Date Published : 05 March 2010
Transport bosses have given the green light to an extra £100,000 to invest in roads to help cope with the cold snap bringing the total to £5.7 million.
Scores of potholes have opened up on roads across Walsall in the wake of the icy weather that saw parts of Britain grind to a halt.
Teams from partners Tarmac have been working flat out on inspecting and repairing the backlog holes as they are reported.
The move means that almost £6 million is being spent on highways maintenance across Walsall in the current financial year.
On top of this, an extra £200,000 has been earmarked for vital highways maintenance work in the next financial year – making an extra £300,000 in total across two financial years.
Councillor Tom Ansell, Walsall Council cabinet member for transport, said: “It’s a major priority to keep the traffic moving across Walsall. Roads are our lifeblood and a great deal of time and resources are put into this.
“Like other areas across the country we have been inundated with potholes which are caused by sub-zero conditions.
“It is still a little early to assess the full extent of the damage to the road network. But we all recognise that there has been damage to the roads due to the severe weather this year and for that reason we have allocated a further £100,000 this financial year to enable a rapid response for potholes and other pressing problems.
“On top of this we are putting in an extra £200,000 in the next financial year for highways maintenance.”
Work is carried out by partners Tarmac who are based at a depot in Cable Drive.
Walsall Council looks after more than 500 miles of roads across the borough and is at a key strategic location in the national road network close to the M5 and M6 motorways.