Council announces major investment in highway maintenance

Southwark Council is planning to invest £41 million on highway maintenance improvements over the next 10 years.

The funding, which is part of the council's 10 year capital investment programme, will go towards the renewal of 190 kilometres of roads and footpaths across the borough.

Under the proposals, the borough's busiest roads and bus routes, non principal roads and footpaths will benefit from a programme of resurfacing and repairs to modernise the network.

The new wave of funding means the council will be able to deal with the backlog of roadworks and improve standards. Importantly, the investment allows the council to become more preventative in its approach to highway maintenance which in turn will bring about savings in ad-hoc repairs.

The council has also announced plans to invest £2m in cycling infrastructure, with a particular focus on improvements to the south of the borough.

The council has also pledged to work with Dutch engineers to deliver on its cycling vision.

Councillor Barrie Hargrove, cabinet member for transport, environment and recycling, said: "The £41m investment in highway maintenance shows the council’s commitment to embark upon a preventative, long-term approach to highway maintenance over the next 10 years. The investment also means that we can fill the funding gap needed to cater to the demand of our busy road network.

"The scheme of work goes beyond just repairing potholes, instead it will take a holistic approach to repairs for the benefit of all local drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

"We’ve also recognised that cycling infrastructure needs to be a part of any highways programme, so we can look forward to an improved cycling network to coincide with our work on Quietways and the Connect 2 route."